Benz CLS Wagon
MB believed to be planning CLS with a tailgate in answer to A7, 5 Series GTThe coupe-like CLS may have broken new ground for prestige sedans, but Mercedes-Benz is not leaving it there. Stuttgart is almost certain to release a wagon version after the second-generation of the swoopy CLS (pictured as an artist's impression) goes on sale early this year.
High-ranking Daimler officials have insisted that the German luxury maker has been forced into expanding the CLS range due to worries about BMW's 5-Series GT and Audi's upcoming A7.
Both German rivals take existing parts and turn them into cars that fill new niches -- which is exactly what Benz did with its original, E-Class-based CLS.
Benz hinted that a CLS wagon was on the cards when it showed its Concept Fascination two-door wagon at 2008's Paris motor show, but it has had to work its way through a horde of other niche concepts under consideration in Stuttgart.
"We need to improve our returns by better utilisation of existing platforms," a high-ranking Mercedes source told AutoWeek. "A derivative of the next CLS is just the tip of the iceberg."
Code-named the X218, the CLS wagon is likely to surface as early as this year's Paris motor show in September, ahead of a 2012 on-sale date.
The original 2004 CLS was a very-lightly modified version of the more-conservative E-Class, with the same engines, gearboxes, suspensions and chassis, and the new one will continue along the same vein.
While the CLS sedan and wagon will share much of the same styling from the nose back to the leading edge of the rear doors, the wagon will have a steep slope to its rear roofline and will use an angled tailgate, similar to the one on the Concept Fascination, to give it much greater luggage capacity than the CLS sedan.
By the time the wagon rolls around, it will be able to benefit from an all-new range of V6 and V8, direct-injection, turbo-charged engines. Set to debut in the S-Class Coupe in June this year, the new engines are said to reduce fuel consumption by 25 percent.
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