Coke Not-Quite-Lite In The Works

Coke is launching a mid-calorie cola that promises half the sugar, carbohydrates and calories of its regular version.

The Atlanta-based company said Coca-Cola C2 would debut first in Japan and then the United States this summer. The company has been researching the idea for a year.

There will be subtle packaging differences to distinguish between the new drink and the company's flagship brand.

In January, PepsiCo Inc. said it, too, was looking at the idea of selling a mid-calorie cola. At the time, spokesman Dave DeCecco said the Purchase, N.Y.-based company had applied for a patent for Pepsi LS, which some have speculated stands for low sugar.

The company later named its mid-calorie cola Pepsi Edge and said it would debut in the United States this summer, roughly the same time as Coke's version, DeCecco said Monday.

Cadbury Schweppes hinted at an industry conference in New York in December that it is looking at a lower-calorie version of Dr Pepper.