Mercedes-Benz CLC production confirmed
The new Mercedes-Benz CLC four-door 'coupe' has been confirmed for production at Mercedes' new Kecskemét plant in Hungary.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, made the announcement at a ceremony marking the start of production at the new Hungarian plant.
“We now have the capacity to meet the demand from many existing - and new - customers in the premium compact segment,” Zetsche said.
The Mercedes-Benz CLC, caught testing earlier this year, will be based on the same MFA front-wheel-drive platform as the new A- and B-Class cars, indicating it will be offered with a variety of petrol and diesel engines. This means we should see 180 and 200 petrol models and CDI variants. There’s also the potential for an all-wheel-drive AMG version sporting upwards of 250kW.
Expect Mercedes’ seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to be used across the range with a six-speed manual an option to be bolted to the diesels.
Mercedes-Benz Australia’s David McCarthy says the new CLC will reach our shores but with no word on arrival dates or price. The 'baby CLS' will sit below the C-Class in Mercedes’ range, coming in nearer its A- and B-Class brethren.
The Kecskemét plant’s first product is the new B-class, helping Mercedes respond to demand with Benz having already received more than 100,000 orders for the B-Class since its launch in November 2011.