Mercedes expects flat sales in 2016 after demonetisation
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Dec 14, 2016
Essentially, to no one's great surprise, the new E-Class Coupe looks like a bigger take on the more compact C-Class Coupe, and a smaller take on the S-Class Coupe.
Mercedes-Benz has announced that the 2018 E-Class Coupe will make its first appearance on Wednesday, Dec. 14, before making its world premiere at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January 2017. The lengthened profile portends the E-Class coupe's new dimensions, too; it's a significant 4.8 inches longer and 2.9 inches taller than its predecessor. "It combines contemporary luxury, agile sportiness and high-tech engineering into an automotive personality with spirit, offering exclusive, refined driving pleasure".
The E-Class Coupe's interior is largely carried from the E-Class sedan, though that's not a bad thing. Front-seat passengers get an 18 mm rise in headroom, a 50 mm lift in shoulder space (the rear seats get a lift of only 34 mm) and 38 mm more elbow room (versus 13 mm more in the rear).
While Mercedes has not released the technical specifications of the 2018 E-Class coupe, it is expected to feature the Drive Pilot semi-autonomous technology as well as a comprehensive suite of safety features like Adaptive Cruise Control with Start/Stop function and Automatic Emergency Braking.
In terms of power, Mercedes kept the 3.0-liter V-6 biturbo engine in the E400 and E400 4Matic. This power plant will produce 329 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque with an electronically limited top speed of 130 miles per hour.
A 12.3-inch high-resolution COMAND center display that looks like an Apple MacBook sits atop the center stack, directly adjacent to the digital instrument cluster with which it appears to share the same piece of hardware.
The E400 coupe can hit 60 miles per hour in 5.2 seconds.
Mercedes boasts "long-distance comfort for four people" with the E-Class coupe. This system can warn the driver of an imminent collision, detect pedestrians, and autonomously apply the brakes in an emergency situation. More so, the make seems well positioned - if we judge according to the past 11 months - to also capture the lead in the crucial United States market, which still trumps China in terms of luxury sales. Back then, Zetsche said, everyone laughed at the announcement.
