I am interested in what market MB aimed the C coupe range and more realistically who bought them?

i tried this once -- have fun being flamed about your age ranges. 18-23 but then 41-60?

latent.
The poll will allow about 10 different options to vote for. you should space them out about 5-6 years per choice.

The less choice the better. Besides people are sensitive about their ages and I guess I don't want to narrow it down too much.

Then how about 18-40, 41-80 and 80+ ?

I think the lower price and less options for a clearly luxury "sporty" car clearly puts this car into a maket by itself.

I think the market now includes us recent grads, and younger individuals making a good paycheck who want to drive a luxury car with some "get-up-and-go" without paying an "arm-and-a-leg".

This cars is aimed towards those who are looking for both luxury/status with performance but end up settling for performance due to luxury/status being out of their price range.

So those who would've bought a RSX or a WRX now have another choice, sacrifice a bit of performance, but get the luxury/status, and even safety associated with MB.

This is what I wanted being a recent grad. I'm 23 now and don't want to be just another guy driving a RSX Type S (which doesn't stand out from every other RSX out there). I wanted something more fitting of the status symbol to signify the achievement in my life by graduating and successfully finding a great job. Plus 189 hp and 200 lb/ft torque packs enough punch to satisfy my driving needs... just wish there was an indash CD...

Obviously, the original purpose of the coupe was to introduce younger buyers to the Mercedes marque. Preferably, 27 year old professional females (No, this isn't BS. Marketing guys, go figure).

The reality is that people who could not normally afford or would not usually consider MB are buying this vehicle. My own dealer informed me that their buyers range from people in their twenties to folks in their sixties; with a decent balance across all age ranges.

MB will soon be faced with the challenge of keeping these new buyers. Going from a sporty coupe to a more sedate C or E class sedan may not be what the buyer wants. Also, the price difference between a C230 coupe and a CLK 320 coupe is quite significant.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Considering that the average MB buyer a couple of years ago was a 54-year old male. I think a car like the coupe makes sense from a marketing standpoint.

MB might be banking on that standard vehicular progression goes something like this: sporty car (young - C230K) - family type car (middle aged, with kids - C, E or M; no kids or second car - CLK) - fancy old guy car (S, CL or SL).

Cheers, BT