The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, the mannequin largely credited with kicking off the coupe-like sedan pattern with the arrival of the primary technology in 2004, will quickly be discontinued.

First reported on Tuesday by The Drive, and since confirmed by Mercedes, the CLS-Class will bow out of manufacturing on Aug. 31, 2023.

The date is when Mercedes will begin manufacturing of the redesigned 2024 E-Class, the mannequin the CLS-Class is historically linked with.

Gross sales of the CLS-Class have been on the decline for a number of years. Mercedes teams CLS-Class gross sales along with the E-Class, and in 2022 the 2 nameplates solely managed 18,818 gross sales within the U.S., down 10% from the earlier 12 months. The GLE-Class and GLE-Class Coupe SUVs collectively managed 63,050 gross sales over the identical interval.

Sedan gross sales generally have been on a decline as patrons proceed to flock to SUVs. It hasn’t helped that Mercedes lately has launched a lot of different coupe-like sedans, crowding out what was already a distinct segment phase. Extra coupe-like sedans provided by the automaker embody the compact CLA-Class, the high-performance AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, and the EQE and EQS electrical duo.

Stories of the CLS-Class’ demise first surfaced as early as 2020. In response to those self same stories, the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe may also be discontinued after the present mannequin reaches the top of its life cycle, although AMG is tipped to launch an electrical successor across the center of the last decade, previewed in 2022 by the Imaginative and prescient AMG idea automotive.

In an announcement, Mercedes stated a “new technology of coupes and convertibles” are coming to assist fill the void. The automaker is probably going referring to a brand new CLE-Class coupe and CLE-Class Cabriolet which can be set to switch the previous two-door variations of each the C-Class and E-Class later this 12 months.