Mercedes-Benz C-Class History
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
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First generation · W202
The first C-Class, replacing the 190 (W201).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Second generation · W203
Added a sport-coupe hatchback; first C-Class with the AMG C32/C55.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Third generation · W204
Home of the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 C63 AMG.
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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.
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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.
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Fourth generation · W205
S-Class-inspired styling; the C63 moved to a twin-turbo V8.
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2014 Photo: “2014 Mercedes-Benz C 200 (W 205) sedan (2015-06-15) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain . Cropped to 16:9.
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2015 Photo: “2015 Mercedes-Benz C 200 (W 205) sedan (2015-07-06) 02” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain . Cropped to 16:9.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Fifth generation · W206
The current C-Class; the C63 controversially switched to a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Body styles
- Sedan
- Wagon (Estate)
- Coupe
- Convertible
Notable special editions & performance variants
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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