C-Class (W205) [Official] Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W205)

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Impatiently waiting for the coupe.

Going to be waiting at least another year.

 

[Carmaker1]

C coupe?

WOW, I'm seriously behind! That has to be it for sure! I'll go to MB Passion immediately and figure out where this came from. Over a year since design selection (already in clinics by January 2013) and no mules even?

Looks like there is a rear door handle Amat. Too early to be the next E though. Surely.

It's far from "too early", as they are less than 2 years left till proposed production. All of us know how early Mercedes-Benz do their design process and finalize production specifications. Roughly 3-4 years ahead of launch. The W212 was frozen in 2006, with the basic design being approved in the second half of 2005. That went into production in early 2009. I also said a number of times, that design clinics for the 2017 E-Class (W213) were already being held in January 2013, which is why it makes it so much more puzzling why prototypes, let alone test mules have not been field testing since.

Is the W213 truly due in March 2016 at this rate, is what I wonder? 23-25 months of the W205 (not S205, A205) prototypes being tested is what we witnessed and over 29 months for the W222 (not including W221-based mules). At most they now have only 20 months till production in early 2016, yet no real-word testing. Either they are genuine delays or they are investing in a different of series/production development.

Sorry, you're still wrong. Look at these pics and tell me if you can recognize a pattern. The W213 will have one-piece taillights, this is as sure as death and taxes
W124

W210

W211

W212

Sure as what that it will have one-piece taillights? Bear in mind that all of the models, except the W213 have been designed under Bruno Sacco and Peter Pfeiffer. Wagener doesn't care very much about tradition and is not concerned with repeating such past patterns. Besides that, design leaders and engineers are most focused on choosing/settling on the best proposals for a generation's successor and whether it is feasible. The W123 didn't even have 2-piece taillights, as its boot didn't cut between the taillights. The W124 was innovative with its trunk shape.

If history is any indicator, the New E should actually not have horizontal lights, but should be more of the style of the C and S. Every generation has switched from triangle to horizontal.

I can see your point, but I doubt that might've been relevant to Gorden Wagener and those working under him during the design process 2 years ago. The most favoured proposal wins, not the one that follows a minute pattern. It's just by chance each generation turned out that way. That is it for sure or a possible C-Class 4dr coupe.

Not sure about that. The C-Class follows it`s father the S-Class with it`s taillights and some other features.

The E usually walks it`s own path with style. This time the new E-Class might pick up some features from the S-Coupe like the more horizontal
taillights and that chrome strip running along top of them over the license plate and taillights. The clay model clearly shows that.

One of the clear indicators that this might be the E-Class is how the taillights cut into the boot lid. (No other MB sedan does that)
This tradition started with the W210 E-Class. It was picked up again in the W212 and might continue with the W213.

The shocking circumstance, that a painted clay model of a never before seen Mercedes-Benz has surfaced and actually resembles speculative renders of the W213, is proof enough for me. I would dismiss that taillight tradition nonsense as fact, when the design leadership clearly have their own ideas now. I doubt it would serve them well to have a smaller boot/trunk opening for the sake of "tradition".

This looks to be an early design proposition of the W205.

Why would it be? The W205 was mostly designed in 2010 and had to be finalized no less than 3 years ago. Barring delays, design for the W213 ended as late as early 2013. The BB DE 410 plate is never applied to design competition models, only final designs.

This is surely not E, Merc wont release a design sketch or video of of its car before its public debut.

I would like to believe that, but they've done the opposite a few times. If you meant in full-scale (or 1:1 scale), I would agree somewhat. However that is not case, with the photo of (original W222 designer) Il-hun Yoon and Gorden Wagener, being shown with a painted clay scale model of the W222 circa April 2009. In late 2010, they also showed colour scale models of the W222 (from the 1/4 rear) alongside the CLS colour models as well. GCF barely picked up on those in May 2011. I am sure there are a few more examples.

We saw the entire rear end of the S-Class back on the videos of the development of the CLS. It would not be the first time. There is no other 4 door MB in the near future. And it has the classy look of the E-Class.

The entire rear end of the W222? When did that ever happen? Unless you meant the W221 and C219 CLS in 2003-04. The only thing close to that was this October 19, 2010 photo and nothing else related to the current CLS. It took until someone pointed this out many months later, that anyone discovered it was the W222. Other than that, I agree that this is the W213.

 

[Amat46]

Informative post carmaker. Since you know quiet lot about design, what's you take on Mr. Wageners design philosophy?

 

[Amat46]

 

[Carmaker1]

Informative post carmaker. Since you know quiet lot about design, what's you take on Mr. Wageners design philosophy?

I love the fresh approach he's taken with the brand's design language and I'm probably one his biggest fans. He's brought us the SLR and W221, which were two key models that likely lead in his ascension to design chief. I'd say that Peter Pfeiffer's more staid direction gave me great disinterest in most new MB models for the latter part of the 2000s, only to gain interest again about 2+ years ago with the W222. The greater focus on interior design and not just materials, is another thing that I highly applaud. I heard he opened up a dedicated interior design development centre. I do so some struggling areas though, such as the rear end on the C-Class saloon (packaging problems?) and some aspects of the CLA.

WHAAAAT.... is that??? What is seriously going on here? It's supposed to be of the W205 in development, yet it resembles renders of the W213? I'm very confused here.

 

[Amat46]

The design of the headlight in that clay model is the confusing bit

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

@Carmaker1 I meant it's too early for them to be showing sneak previews of the next E. But maybe not.

 

[Wolfgang]

Looks like C-Class lights, though?

http://www.germancarforum.com/commu...edes-benz-c-class-cabriolet-c205.48675/page-5

 

[Amat46]

What is interesting about this clay model is, there is no rear door. This should be the C coupe

 

[Betty Swollocks]

What is interesting about this clay model is, there is no rear door. This should be the C coupe

You can't tell whether there's a rear door in that photo. There's a man in the way.

 

[klier]

You can't tell whether there's a rear door in that photo. There's a man in the way.

No if you zoom in you can see there is no rear door. Or there is, but then the rear wheel arch is part of the door (like an X5) and that seems so very unlikely on a sedan.

 

[Monster]

Lets not get bogged down here...

 

[W201]

I doubt the C Coupe would have Exclusive grille. Also, front doors would be longer, greenhouse would be a bit 'slimmer', and the whole car would be lower and wider (as per rumors). This is the C Class.

 

[klier]

Good points, I agree after second thought. Maybe the rear doors simply aren't cut into the clay yet

 

[Wolfgang]

Daimler AG

 

[Jobin]

Anybody notice that these are E-Class wheels? Coincidence??

 

[mini_cooper4]

These are not C-Class headlights on the clay model.
The whole shape is different.

 

[Rolf]

I love the fresh approach he's taken with the brand's design language and I'm probably one his biggest fans. He's brought us the SLR and W221, which were two key models that likely lead in his ascension to design chief. I'd say that Peter Pfeiffer's more staid direction gave me great disinterest in most new MB models for the latter part of the 2000s, only to gain interest again about 2+ years ago with the W222. The greater focus on interior design and not just materials, is another thing that I highly applaud. I heard he opened up a dedicated interior design development centre. I do so some struggling areas though, such as the rear end on the C-Class saloon (packaging problems?) and some aspects of the CLA.

The last pic with the back lights of a car I would say is probably the new W213 as there are 2 door handles visible and the horizontal lights looks like an evolution of the current model. The clay model pic I am not 100% sure but would also reckon W213 as the lights are more angular than the C-class and bonnet looks bigger than the C-class.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

No way would there be such a revealing photo if it was the E-Class. That's point one. Point two, any differences to the actual C-Class are simply because it's a clay model, the point at which in the development process we don't know. This could have been an early design.

 

[Wolfgang]

A comparo.