As for the saloon model, the body shell engineers employed the principle of sustainable lightweight construction for the new C-Class Coupé. Light-alloy components include the wings, bonnet and boot lid. Consequently, they were able to reduce the weight of the Coupé by up to 50 kilogrammes.

In addition, they designed every detail in a way that results in the body shell meeting demanding standards with unprecedented performance in this segment – for example, with regard to the transfer of forces from the chassis to the body or the NVH characteristics. High-strength and ultra-high-strength materials play an important role in this regard. Their use resulted in higher rigidity and strength of the body shell. This has positive effects on the driving dynamics and the noise level.

In keeping with Mercedes-Benz traditions, the body shell is designed for exemplary crash safety. The Coupé not only meets all current national and international laws, but also all rating requirements as well as the more stringent internal Mercedes-Benz safety requirements, which are based on what actually happens in real-life accidents.

A high-strength safety passenger compartment forms the core of this concept. It consists primarily of high-strength and ultra-high-strength sheet steel and panels with graduated wall thicknesses designed to withstand specific local stresses. Many segments consist of hot-formed steels, which as the result of this production process become very hard and less deformable.

The rigid safety cell is surrounded by purposefully calculated deformation zones that have been tested in practice. Thanks to optimised force paths, they produce outstanding crash test results (e.g. Euro NCAP and U.S. NCAP) and ensure maximum safety for the occupants.