Mercedes May Be Working on a Coupe to Battle the Audi TT

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class (Credit: © Mercedes-Benz)

We all know how much Mercedes-Benz loves filling every niche possible, and there is one that the company still has yet to fill. This niche is the compact performance coupe realm that is currently dominated by the Audi TT. Now, a report from Autobild.de claims that this niche may go unfilled for only a little longer, as a Mercedes TT-fighting coupe could be released as early as 2019.

While this report remains very much in its rumor phase, the logic is there. Mercedes already has a platform that I perfect for this project in the front-wheel-drive underpinnings of the A-Class, B-Class, CLA-Class, and GLA-Class. In reality, all Mercedes would have to do to create the TT fighter is take the CLA-Class, hack off the rear doors, massage the C-pillars slightly, and give the front and rear fascias a sporty refresh.

With a chance to take its rival Audi and hit a niche that even Bimmer has yet to touch just within reach, I see no reason for Mercedes not to jump all over it.

Driving this TT rival would likely be the same 208-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged mill that sits under the hood of the CLA250. On top of the base model, Mercedes will also need to find a way to handle the TTS and the upcoming TT RS. To battle the 265-horsepower TTS, Mercedes could crank up the wick on the 2.0-liter engine to round 270 horsepower, thereby creating an AMG Sport version of its new coupe. For the TT RS, AMG could step in with its 355-horsepower version of the 2.0-liter engine, and plenty of suspension and chassis tweaks.

Power will likely be transferred to the front wheels in its standard setup, but there would be optional 4MATIC all-wheel drive available.

Again, this is all still just pure speculation and rumors, but it seems like a great move for Mercedes.