Next Mercedes-Benz C-Class to leap tech barriers

The next-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class due in 2021 will take on the SUV charge armed with levels of technology never before seen in the mid-size luxury car segment.

The current C-Class has been one of the great success stories in the three-pointed star’s storied history, but it’s under threat like no C-Class before it.

It is the first generation of the venerable entry-level ‘proper’ Mercedes-Benz to come under threat from not just the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, but from a horde of SUVs as well.

That’s why the W206 version of the C-Class, which is expected to debut at the 2020 Paris motor show next September, will bring exclusively hybrid powertrains and a big step forward in autonomous driving technology.

Technologies that haven’t yet found their way into the flagship S-Class limousines are already being engineered into the C-Class at the orders of new Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius.

While the styling of the prototypes suggests they will look like a conservative evolution of the current car, there will be an entirely new direction for the front-end and its traditional grille, though the proportions will remain the same.

Once again there will be sedan, wagon, coupe and convertible versions, with rear- and all-wheel drive powertrains and a full battery-electric option for the first time.

The new C-Class is also likely to follow the E-Class into the realm of the All Terrain (or, more accurately, the Audi A4 Allroad) with a soft-road version.

Bigger inline six-cylinder engines will largely be overlooked for the next C-Class, with Benz instead opting for electrically boosted four-cylinder turbo engines, with both petrol or diesel power.

Both mild-hybrid (through a starter-generator electric motor) and full plug-in hybrid power (via a transmission-mounted electric motor) will feature strongly, with an entry-level 50km of EV range or between 80 and 100km on later versions.

The first inline six in the range will be the petrol version in the C 43 AMG, while Benz will retain the 4.0-litre V8 engine for the C 63.

Built off the steel and aluminium Modular Rear Architecture (MRA) architecture, the new C-Class is expected to be lighter, with higher levels of torsional rigidity and fully capable of supporting across-the-board 48-volt electrical systems.

There will be a far longer range for the W206’s plug-in hybrid family, too, with Benz insiders suggesting 80km is the real-world target figure.

Like the current car, the next C-Class’s suspension will be based around a five-link rear suspension and a double-wishbone front-end, with air springs as an option, or standard on top-end models.

But it’s in autonomous driving that the C-Class will take its biggest leap forward. The current E-Class is already capable of independent lane changing (with indicating) on motorways (though using it is still illegal in Europe) and the W206’s Drive Pilot will move forward from there.

A full Level 3 autonomous car, the W206 C-Class will be hands-free at up to 130km/h (the motorway speed limit in most European countries).

The system uses a new stereo analogue camera system (most car-makers use a single forward-facing camera, though Benz has always preferred the range-calculating benefits of a stereo system), plus LiDar, radar and longer-range ultrasonic parking sensors.

While social media videos show Tesla owners striking trouble with their Summon systems, the next C-Class will have a Level 4 valet parking system, including a smartphone-operated summon function.