Mercedes Caught Testing New 2023 “CLE” Compact Four-Seat Convertible

Photos of a small, two-door, convertible Mercedes testing in Germany have been snapped by our trusty spy photographers, and they may hint at a new model that will sit between the C-Class coupe and the E-Class coupe.

The rumor goes that following Mercedes’ decision to streamline its model lineup, it has decided to discontinue the coupe versions of the C and E Class. It will replace both of them with a single new model, which will reportedly adopt the CLE nameplate.

Indeed, the flames of these rumors have been stoked by a renewed U.S. trademark for the name “CLE” and the general feeling sedans and convertibles are the first on the chopping block when tough decisions need to be made. Auto Express reports that the new CLE will likely be based on the MRA-2 modular platform, the same one used in the new C-Class.

Camouflaged test cars have already been spotted before and we then assumed they were of a C-Class convertible. To be sure, though, this convertible’s character line goes up more aggressively along with the door than the new C-Class’s. Another picture, meanwhile, shows the car in front of a current C-Class Cabriolet.

If this is, indeed, a CLE and not a C-Class Cabriolet, that may provide American fans of open-top motoring a glimmer of hope. Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Nicholas Speeks said in no uncertain terms last year that the market would not get a C-Class Coupe or Cabriolet.

“With the added utility of rear doors and a fully usable back seat, sedans have made two-door models redundant,” he said at the time. “Two-door coupes and convertibles now only appeal to a handful of buyers who find the extra openings offensive. These buyers are slowly moving to sedans or utilities, or aging out of personal vehicles altogether.”

Being neither a C-Class Cabriolet nor Coupe, though, there’s a sliver of a chance that the CLE could slip through the cracks and into the American market. At this stage, however, we suggest that you don’t get your hopes up too high.

If this is, indeed, the CLE, rumors suggest that we should expect it in 2023.