Things aren’t looking good for the CLC, Mercedes-Benz’s small hatchback based on the last-generation (W203) C-Class platform. When the current-generation CLC was introduced in 2008, it never came to North America, mostly due to the underwhelming sales numbers that the original C-Class Sport Coupé garnered while in production. These cars have been moderately popular in other markets, but new reports state that the CLC production will come to an halt at the end of this year.
Currently, the CLC is produced at Benz’s Juiz de Fora facility in Brazil, which will be undergoing changes in its production line. This plant will be repurposed to build the Actros, Mercedes’ heavy-duty commercial truck, and no plans have been made to shift CLC production elsewhere. Reports suggest that we could see an all-new version of the CLC when the next-generation C-Class drops in a couple of years (probably not slated for the States, of course), but until we get the official word from Mercedes-Benz, we wish the little hatch a fond farewell. Top tip, Rodrigo!
