Mercedes-Benz C-Class History
Catalog record
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History
The C-Class launched in 1993 (W202) as the successor to the 190 (W201), becoming Mercedes' compact executive mainstay and one of its best-sellers.
Across the W202, W203, W204, W205, and W206 generations it has been offered as a sedan, wagon, coupe, and convertible, with the high-performance C63 AMG as its halo.
Generations
First generation · W202
The first C-Class, replacing the 190 (W201).
1994 Photo: “1994-1995 Mercedes-Benz C180 (W202) Classic Sedans (05-10-2017) 07” by M.rJirapat / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1996 Photo: “1996 Mercedes-Benz C200 (front), West Surabaya” by Alex Neman / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1997 Photo: “1997 Mercedes-Benz C280 Sedan, front left, 08-23-2022” by MercurySable99 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Second generation · W203
Added a sport-coupe hatchback; first C-Class with the AMG C32/C55.
2001 Photo: “2001 Mercedes-Benz W203 C200 Kompressor, front left, 06-29-2024” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2002 Photo: “2002 Mercedes-Benz C 200 Kompressor (W 203) Classic sedan (2010-07-08)” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2003 Photo: “2003 Mercedes-Benz C 180 Kompressor (W 203 MY03) Classic sedan (2011-11-17) 02” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2004 Photo: “2004 Mercedes-Benz C 200 Kompressor (W 203) Elegance sedan (2011-12-06)” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2005 Photo: “2005 Mercedes-Benz C240 4Matic, Front Left, 11-17-2021” by Elise240SX / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2007 Photo: “2007 Mercedes-Benz C180 Kompressor W203” by Rodrigo Kurmen Figueroa / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Third generation · W204
Home of the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 C63 AMG.
2008 Photo: “2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 in Two Lanes” by Noah Wulf / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2012 Photo: “2012 Mercedes-Benz W204 C 63 AMG, front right, 06-30-2024” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Fourth generation · W205
S-Class-inspired styling; the C63 moved to a twin-turbo V8.
2014 Photo: “2014 Mercedes-Benz C 200 (W 205) sedan (2015-06-15) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2015 Photo: “2015 Mercedes-Benz C 200 (W 205) sedan (2015-07-06) 02” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2017 Photo: “2017 Mercedes-Benz C 200 (W 205) sedan (2018-08-31) 01” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2018 Photo: “2018 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic in Black, front right” by Mr.choppers / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2019 Photo: “2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C 300 AMG Line (3)” by Bindydad123 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Fifth generation · W206
The current C-Class; the C63 controversially switched to a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid.
2022 Photo: “2022 Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line Premium - 1999cc 2.0 (258PS) Petrol - Obsidian Black - 02-2024, Front” by Harvey Bold / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2023 Photo: “2023 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C220d AMG Line” by Chanokchon / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2024 Photo: “2024 Mercedes-Benz W206 C180 Avantgarde in Mojave Silver, front right, 07-10-2024” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2026 Photo: “2026 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C220d AMG Line Night Edition” by Chanokchon / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Wagon (Estate)
- Coupe
- Convertible
Notable special editions & performance variants
C63 AMG
The high-performance C-Class — a naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 (W204), then twin-turbo V8 (W205), then a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid (W206).
Related models
Collect the nameplate
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