FRANKFURT — Mercedes-Benz is positioning the redesigned C-Class as a smaller, sportier version of the recently launched S-Class flagship sedan.
The latest C-Class will “raise the bar as the most sophisticated offering in its segment,” Mercedes said Tuesday, reflecting extensive customization, a more luxurious interior with greater space, as well as better handling and lower fuel consumption.
“The letters C and S sit at opposite ends of the alphabet. However, in our portfolio they are now moving closer together,” Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am certain our new C-Class will excite even more customers with a wide range of high-tech features derived from our flagship S-Class.”
The C-Class, expected to go on sale in the U.S. in early 2022, borrows heavily from the S-Class top-of-the-line sedan, including the cockpit and the latest version of the MBUX infotainment system complete with over-the-air software updates.
The new C-Class offers Mercedes the first opportunity to move downmarket some of the advanced high-tech from the S-Class. Normally, the larger E-Class would get the features before the C-Class but the E-Class sedan, which analysts say generates the bulk of Mercedes profits from a healthy mix of strong volume and pricing, was just refreshed last year and is not scheduled for a replacement until 2023.
The C-Class’s latest, second-generation MBUX has a Smart Home function that allows users to control the heating, lights, and other electrical appliances in their home through WiFi, as well as use motion detectors to see who is in the home.
