STUTTGART, Germany (DPA) ― Marking its 125th birthday Mercedes is entering for the first time the two-door compact coupe segment with a C-Class Coupe, deploying much of the same technology as in the recently launched C-Class.

Tailored to a customer group aged 35-45, “we are consciously targeting new customers,” according to the head of Mercedes Sales and Marketing, Joachim Schmidt.

Typical coupe features include the short front overhang, long bonnet, steeply raked windscreen, a long, stretched-out roof and a sportily short tail end.

From the front the coupe shares the same styling as the latest C-Class but has two chrome louvres extending left and right on either side of the central star, tapering off at the outer edges and creating a sporty, arrow-shaped horizontal sweep which gives the front end a pronounced V-shape. The rear is short with a steeply raked rear window. A wide chamfer on the top of the boot lid highlights the compact design.

The C-Class Coupe features a new telematics generation which received its global premiere on the saloon and estate models. Major new features include greater operating convenience, larger displays, phone book transfer, display of SMS messages, wireless music reproduction via Bluetooth and a USB interface now accommodated in the centre armrest.

Customers have a choice of three petrol engines and two diesel power plants.

All are equipped with direct injection and the ECO start/stop function as standard. The top engine variant is the V6petrol engine in the C 350 BlueEFFICIENCY with an output of 225kW/306 hp. Average fuel consumption is 14.7 liters per kilometer. The most economical coupe model is the C 220 CDI with an average diesel consumption of 22.7 liters per kilometer.