Mercedes-Benz C-Class

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a compact executive car produced by the Mercedes-Benz division of Daimler AG. The earliest models (pre-production) were seen during 1992[citation needed], but the car itself was first introduced in 1993 as a replacement for the 190 range. The C-Class was nicknamed the "Baby Benz" as it was the smallest model in the marque's lineup, until the 1997 arrival of the A-Class. The C-Class is built at Mercedes-Benz factories in Sindelfingen and Bremen, Germany, as well as in Mercedes's factories in Brazil and DaimlerChrysler's South African factory in East London. The very first W202 C-Class sedan was produced on June 1, 1993, and the second generation W203 C-Class rolled off the assembly line on July 18, 2000. The third generation W204 C-Class was launched in 2007.

The C-Class platform has been used for several coupes, including the CLC-Class (and its predecessor, the C-Class Sportcoupe) and CLK-Class.

W202 (1993–2000)

The first generation W202 C-Class was introduced in 1993, as a replacement for the Mercedes-Benz W201 (190), and proved successful among high-end car buyers. The C-Class sedan was the company's entry-level model up until 1997, when Mercedes launched the A-Class supermini. Styling themes were carried over from the previous W201 series, but the new series had a smoother and rounder design than the previous generation of compact Mercedes.