THAI PRODUCT PLAN FOR THE REFRESHED C-CLASS

The saloon derivative remains the core-seller of the MercedesBenz C-Class family and sees the return of diesel power in the guise of the C220d running the same 194hp 2.0-litre turbo unit as in the E220d.

The C350e, a plug-in hybrid mating a 2.0-litre petrol engine and electric motor, will come on stream next year featuring an upgraded lithium-ion battery pack, which will be sourced from Mercedes’ new battery plant in Thailand that has yet to be operational.

Both the C220d and C350e will have prices kicking out below 3 million baht to stay competitive against the BMW 320d and 330e. Sales of the C220d begin in the final quarter of this year.

Like the four-door model, the Coupe is the next most important C-Class as it is also assembled at the brand’s Samut Prakan factory.

The AMG-fettled C43 remains on top of the Coupe’s Thai model lineup whose 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 has been tweaked to 390hp, up from 367hp in the pre-facelift counterpart.

A new entry-level variant of the Coupe will come in the form of the C200 featuring a new 184hp 1.5-litre petrol engine and 48V mild hybrid providing an additional 14hp of power. It would supersede the outgoing C250 which had a 211hp 2.0-litre conventional petrol motor.

While the C200 would be priced at between 3-3.5 million baht, the C43 should cost roughly the same as before at some 4.5 million baht.

As the Estate and Cabriolet models don’t sell in large numbers in Thailand, the Thai Mercedes office isn’t taking these two derivatives of the C-Class seriously. In pre-facelift forms, both were imported in small numbers. While the Estate once came in C350e plug-in hybrid form, the rag-top Cabriolet was sold in C300 guise featuring 245hp 2.0-litre petrol-turbo engine. The Estate model, in particular, has the tough task of converting buyers of the everpopular GLC SUV.