4-door saloon future: Mercedes C-class

W204. An important code in Mercedes nomenclature. And one that you should take notice, after all it is difficult to memorize all of Mercedes internal codes for models, since there are a lot: Mercedes is using almost all of the alfabet letters these days. Many models and derivatives. Such is the case with the new C-class - expect saloon, break, coupé but also a small SUV.

There is a lot to be said about this new car as it is very important. One entry in this blog will not be enough so expect updates in the next days. Although recent information from Auto Motor und Sport (AMS C-class info) suggests that it will be presented in Geneve next year I have good reasons to believe that we will see it sooner: official photos in the summer and presentation in Paris. After all we have seen the most part of it by now including undesguised front (WCF) and interior (interior-photo).

Some reports in magazines are writing BS about this car being "last chance to challenge the 3-series in sales numbers". Excuse me, but that is missing the point. One has to think of the C-class as appealling to a older crowd than the bimmer, so don't expect it to sell more than the 3-series. I see this car as a more confortable and elegant alternative to the 3-series. And make no mistake: these two cars are, by far, the best in this class. The couple of things that I really like about this new Merc are that it is influenced by the design of the CLS, and also that it will be a more masculine car, closer to the first C-class and the 190E: more presence and solidity in the design. Pictured below is an interpretation (by Autozeitung magazine) that I really like, although it will not look exactly like that...unfortunately!