The 2010 E-Class Coupe was not built on the E-Class platform, but rather on the C-Class platform. Marketing is another reason.
Wolfgang Bremm, E-Class product manger, Automotive News confirmed that the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe was built on the C-Class platform and not the E-Class, as it is named. This is the C-Class platform, officially known as the W204. It is an interesting decision to rename the CLK two-door model as an E-Class. However, it continues Merc’s previous production which was based on the W203 C Class platform.
The platform codenamed W212 is used by the new E-Class sedan, which clearly is not W204. The platform codename for the E coupe is C207, according to speculation.
It may be a question that Merc will rename the car after an E-Class model, when the car is based on another. Ernst Lieb, CEO at Mercedes-Benz USA, says that the car is more efficient with C-Class underpinnings rather than E-Class architecture. Customers will be more likely to spend more on an E-Class Coupe than a C-Class Coupe. This is especially true at the higher end, where margins are larger.
The Coupe is lighter than the E-Class sedan at around 400lbs (181kg), and has a sleeker body. It will handle better and be more efficient in the long term than its predecessor.
MBUSA officials issued a statement stating that the E-Class coupe shares more 60 percent of its components and technology with the E-Class sedan. The statement, which appears to be an attempt at damage control and diverting attention to the E-Class, fails to address the E-Class’s inner body structure or platform. It is W212 or W204.
We believe that the original report was correct and that the E-Class Coupe is indeed based upon the W204 C-Class, despite the common componentry with W212 E-Class.