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2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE Prototype Grins For The Camera

As some of you know, the third generation of the trend-setting Mercedes-Benz CLS is set to transform into something a little different and completely replace the “Benz” with “AMG” in its moniker.
2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype 13 photos
Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype2019 Mercedes-Benz CLE prototype
That said, there will still be a four-door coupe based on the E-Class in the future, with the main difference being that it will have an entirely new name.

The 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLE is the most likely name to be found under the heavy camouflage of the pre-production prototype depicted in this article's photo gallery. At least this is what the latest Mercedes-Benz nomenclature seems to suggest.

If you remember, apart from the core models (A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, E-Class and S-Class) every three-pointed star model will be linked to its corresponding platform brother with a suffix. It's SL in the case of sports cars and GL when it comes to SUVs and crossovers.

Speaking of platforms, the 2018 CLE will feature the same MRA (Modular Rear-wheel-drive Architecture) platform as the latest E-Class. Since it's at least a year away from its official unveiling, it's safe to say that it will be powered exclusively by an all-new modular engine family.

The new engines are only partly shared with the current E-Class and have more in common with what you will see under the hood of the 2018 S-Class facelift. Almost all of them will be built around a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, and the six-cylinders will be exclusively of the inline variety - no more V6s.

It is expected that the Multibeam LED headlamps found on the current CLS will evolve to new heights in the CLE, especially since it looks like it will have much slimmer headlights.

The heavy camouflage doesn't help us see too many design details, but it is evident that the gigantic rear overhang has been kept from the CLS, while the engine hood seems a bit longer. It is also possible that the CLE will be the first Mercedes-Benz with taillights that unite in the middle, kind of like on certain Porsche 911s. We'll learn more about that once the pre-production prototypes start stripping in 2017.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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