Report: Mercedes-Benz CLS Production Ends in August 2023

The impending automobile electrification has caused the extinction of several ICE-powered vehicles, with sports cars being its most common prey. While several automakers took the initiative of electrifying their ICE fleets, some models are just ‘not worth saving’, at least that’s what automakers think.

2022 Mercedes-Benz CLS 53 AMG (left) & CLS 300d (right)

Next in-line for the guillotine is the Mercedes-Benz CLS, with word around the campfire suggesting that this sporty sedan will cease production as early as August this year. This axing concerns all versions of the CLS, including the CLS 53 AMG performance saloon.

 The demise of four-door sedan models is nothing new, especially in this SUV-saturated market, with Toyota axing its long-lived D-segment sedan, the Camry, from their domestic market fleet earlier this year.

Moving back to the CLS, one Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson told CarExpert that its production will come to an end by August this year. The firm’s branch in Land Down Under has stopped receiving orders for the CLS for quite some time, in order to make room for the newly-launched W214-gen E-Class.

"Orders have ceased and production for the current CLS will end August this year in preparation for the new E-Class," the spokesperson said.

Mercedes-Benz CLS (left) & the newly-launched W214 E-Class (right)

The sudden demise of the CLS wouldn’t come as a big surprise, as previous reports and rumours have speculated that the Stuttgart-based marque is planning to streamline its saloon line-up by cutting several ‘unpopular’ or redundant models. With the CLS standing as the sportier version of the E-Class, perhaps Mercedes-Benz deemed it to be redundant or overlapping as the marque's true D-segment sedan fighter.

Aside from saloons, the marque has also cut-off a slew of two-door coupe and convertible models from their line-up, favouring the lifted ones in order to meet the growing demand. Among sporty models axed from Merc’s line-up including the SLS, S-Class Coupe, S-Class Convertible, as well as the AMG GT Convertible.

Newly-Debuted Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV - Maybach's first all-electric model

And sadly, they are not done yet. Multiple rumours also suggest that Mercedes-Benz is planning to cease the production of the A-Class sedan and B-Class minivan, with both the C-Class Coupe and Convertible set to be morphed into a single CLE Coupe/Convertible pair. With few obsolete models away now, the marque can finally focus on harnessing its SUV line-up, including the newly-debuted Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV, as well as the all-electric G-Class variant, dubbed as the EQG.

Fortunately, Mercedes-Benz won’t just forgo the plan to produce more sporty models, as the marque will follow the EQS SUV with a new Maybach SL roadster, as well as several new EV models part of its new ‘MYTHOS’ series. On top of that, there will also be a new EV platform dedicated to sports cars, dubbed as the AMG EA. With this in mind, perhaps we can expect a few new AMG EV models coming out sooner or later.