REPORT: 2010 Mercedes E-Class Cabrio to Debut in Frankfurt

The sheer volume of spy photos of the 2010 Mercedes E-Class coupe and convertible is enough to make it clear that both vehicles are close to introduction. The coupe is scheduled to bow in Geneva next month, and according to Edmunds' Inside Line, the cabriolet will debut this fall at Frankfurt, as expected.

It's official: The E-Class coupe and cabriolet will replace the CLK model. A convertible with a retractable hardtop is still a possibility, based on prototypes spotted in testing, but the soft-top is a certainty. Both two-doors ride on a modified version of the sedan's chassis with a longer wheelbase and more interior room than the outgoing CLK. The cabriolet is expected to share the same powertrains available in the coupe.

What will those be? Well, Mercedes' first direct-injection four-cylinder engine is the base powerplant, a turbocharged 1.8 liter unit making 204 horsepower. A common-rail diesel-powered four will also be available, though neither of the four-cylinders (designated E250 CGI and CDI for the gas and diesel models, respectively) is expected to make it to North America. Americans will have to be content with the E350 coupe and cabriolet's 231-horsepower 3.0 liter V6. V8 power is provided by the E500. Of course, a high-powered AMG variant is inevitable; expect 500 horsepower or so once AMG shoehorns its 6.2 liter V8 into the E-Class coupe's engine bay.

Other advances will be similar to those found on the high-tech E-Class sedan, including a revised COMAND system, PRE-SAFE braking and a driver attention-assist system which detects drowsiness.

Please note: photos contained within this article were originally published Feb 11, 2009.