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Mercedes-Benz has officially unveiled the 2008 CLC-Class, the Euro-market successor to the now-defunct C-Class Sports Coupe. Well, we should clarify that. It’s not completely defunct in that its architecture has been carried over for the new car, meaning the CLC does not share underpinnings with the new-gen C-Class. Still, Mercedes boasts that the car features 1,100 “newly-developed or enhanced” components, including the direct steering system introduced on the freshened SLK. The changes are intended to give the car a different feel than its predecessor.

At first glance, it’s clear that Mercedes is trying to leave the past behind, looks-wise. Sure, the coupe profile is carried over, but the sharp-looking face of the new C-Class finds its way onto the CLC’s front end. Out back, fresh taillamps also keep up the family resemblance to the new C. An updated interior greets occupants, with available features like DVD or hard drive-based nav, iPod integration, and an in-dash SD card slot. The entertainment, communications and nav systems can all be operated by voice command, too.

Buyers can choose from four engines — 2 gas and 2 diesel, all with improved fuel economy — matched with six-speed manual gearboxes as standard equipment. Drivers who opt for automatics get a 5-speed unit for 4-cylinder engines or MB’s 7-speed auto for the 6-cylinders. An available sports package dresses things up with enhancements like 18″ wheels and also adds paddle shifters to the steering wheel for cars with automatic transmissions. The Brazilian-built CLC goes on sale in Europe this May. No plans have been mentioned regarding a possible US-market return, and given that the last-gen didn’t sell particularly well here, that is completely unsurprising. The Mercedes press release is pasted after the jump.

[Sources: Mercedes-Benz, Inside Line]

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The new 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLC is the Stuttgart-based automaker’s second recent attempt at making a hatchback version of the C-Class sedan work. The first-gen model was sold in the U.S. in small numbers, but we’re not expecting the newly renamed CLC to make it across the pond for Yankee consumption. We’re not sure U.S. consumers would take the bait a second time anyway. Though Mercedes claims it has 1,100 improvements, the new CLC is still based on the old C-Class architecture, and thus does not share underpinnings with the new C-Class on sale in the U.S. It basically looks like the first-gen model with the nose of the new C-Class grafted on.

But there reportedly were other designs being considered. These renderings show what the new CLC could have been, nearly all of which feature more dynamic designs than the one that eventually got the nod. Perhaps if the 2009 CLC came out of the oven wearing one of these shapes, the U.S. market would be more interested in Mercedes’ newest hatch. Of note, however, is that we have no idea where Carscoop sourced these renderings, so they may not be official ones from Mercedes at all, but they sure do look the part.

[Source: Carscoop]