Mercedes-Benz E-Class pilot build commences

These are the first pictures of the new Mercedes E-Class, which will premiere in Detroit just over three months from now.

The pictures have been published on MBPassionblog, a website dedicated to German fans of the Mercedes marque. As we reported back in March, the new W213 series will feature inline six-cylinder engines for the first time in decades, yet weight will be reduced by around 100kg through the basing the W213 models on a modified version of the MRA platform that underpins the W205 C-Class.

In addition to the straight six, there will be a plug-in hybrid variant and the E-Class will also offer four-cylinder petrol and diesel options, as well as the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 for the range-topping E 63 AMG – expected to develop 450kW.

Autonomous motoring will be taken to a new level with the new E-Class, Benz told motoring.com.au back in June, with the W213 expected to overtake BMW's 7 Series flagship in the high-tech realm of self-driving cars. That, as we reported at the time, hints that the E-Class will also leap-frog its big brother, the S-Class.

Timing for the E-Class is a world premiere at Detroit in January, followed by the launch of the wagon variants around mid-year. Coupe and Cabriolet versions will debut at some point further down the track, as will mooted long-wheelbase (Maybach) and high-riding wagon versions.