zIt’s all part of product development. Some models will be phased out and new ones will replace them. Such life cycles have been part of the automotive industry and it has worked well.

It’s basically a two-fer for Merc. The German automaker will be phasing out the CLC saloon in favor of a new two-door C-class by 2011. The coupe will also take on the CLK’s role in the lineup.

“We went back and studied what made our coupes so popular in the past. If you look at some of the more successful two door models Mercedes-Benz has produced you can see a direct relationship between them and their four door stable mates,” an inside source told Autocar.

This car will have a short life span though as it is currently being developed using the current C-class platform. Merc is set to work on the next-gen platform soon. It’s just something to fill in the gaps to be left by two cars.