Mercedes-Benz teased a profile photo of the all-new CLE coupe on its official Facebook page, announcing that the two-door model will debut on July 5 at 11 AM Eastern Time (5 PM Central European Summer Time – CEST).
The upcoming coupe will eventually replace no fewer than four models in the German brand’s portfolio, as it moves toward a simplified lineup of gas-powered vehicles. At first, the two-door hardtop will take the place of the currently available C-Class coupe and E-Class coupe, with the convertible variants of both being superseded by the CLE convertible, which we know is in the works thanks to several spy shots taken in the last 12 months.
As with the current convertibles, the upcoming droptop CLE will feature a cloth roof, which is arguably more elegant, more compact, and much lighter than a folding hardtop, but at the same time, it can’t provide the same level of structural rigidity as its once-fashionable counterpart.
Getting back to the coupe variant which will debut next week, it will reportedly carry the “C236” codename and seems to feature quite a sleek body, reminiscent of the ill-fated S-Class coupe that only lasted for one generation.
The new CLE will be sold in Europe, the United States, and other markets around the world, with American dealers getting the scoop on the fresh two-door back in June 2022 when Mercedes-Benz reportedly told them the car will be available at first with a single electrified 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. In the current C-Class sedan, this particular motor makes a combined 308 horsepower in the C300e plug-in hybrid version.
According to an EPA document revealed by Car and Driver in April, the CLE will also get a six-cylinder version, as well as an AMG 53 performance variant, with both rear-wheel drive and 4Matic all-wheel drive versions being on the list of available configurations.
The previous generation Mercedes-AMG E53 got a 3.0-liter inline-six mated to an electric motor that made a combined output of 451 hp, which was distributed to all four wheels via the brand’s 4Matic+ AWD system, so we can expect the upcoming CLE 53 AMG to bring something similar to the table of hot coupes when it debuts.
We’ll know more about the new two-door Mercedes-Benz after its official unveiling on June 5, so check back on Motor1 regularly to see what it’s all about.
