Mercedes CLS sedan: take two
New generation of four-seat trend setter caught on cameraThe top secret, next generation Mercedes-Benz CLS sedan has been caught on camera -- being driven past a sign warning "foto vorbot".
Translated this means "photos are strictly forbidden".
It's a good thing then that our friends at Carparazzi were outside this top secret bunker and on public land when this disguised prototype was driven through the gates and onto public roads.
The budgets must be going pretty well in the CLS engineering division as they've been able to afford more black tape than the E-Class cabrio team.
But thanks to the new CLS's cool curves and bulging flanks we can easily peel away the tape with our mind's eye.
What we can see is that the new CLS will go for slightly more conventional looking headlights (instead of the old model's boomerang shape) and tail-lights that taper down inwards, as opposed to down outwards, a style that was at the time likened to the unloved AU Falcon.
The teardrop shape of the lights is intended to continue the CLS's slippery look.
Inkeeping with the sporty theme, the new CLS has borrowed the gaping three-tier grille from the sports variants of the E-Class sedan and coupe.
Mercedes-Benz Australia is yet to be advised of the timing of the new model, but it is due to be unveiled in Europe next year, possibly at the Geneva motor show in March, and on sale there by the end of 2010.
It's not confirmed but Mercedes is hoping to have the model here by the end of 2010.
Engine options are likely to be similar to those offered in the E-Class sedan with which the CLS shares its underpinnings. A high performance AMG version has not been confirmed but is likely.
The Mercedes CLS was somewhat of a trend-setter when it arrived five years ago. Motoring media around the world questioned why customers would pay a premium for a slightly cosier four-seater sedan (it is based on the underpinnings of the E-Class).
But the CLS (coupe-like sedan) spawned a new automotive niche that has since been copied (in various forms) by the Volkswagen Passat CC and BMW X6 soft-roader.
The new model promises to "draw another line in the sand", according to company insiders, but they would not elaborate on exactly what trick was up the new model's sleeve.
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