SPY PICS: 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class spotted

Not a lot is left to the imagination with these latest spy photos of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class that is expected to make its global debut at the Detroit motor show in January 2016.

The largely undisguised car leaves little other than details of the front and rear lights and lower bumpers to be speculated on and shows what is described by the company's global design chief Gorden Wagener as a "definitely not conservative" shape that builds on the themes seen in the latest C-Class and S-Class models.

"We don't do conservative designs," Wagener told motoring.com.au during the launch of the Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo concept car, where he enlarged on the company's basic design philosophies.

"I think the most important part is you follow your philosophy and what you believe in. Mercedes stands for modern luxury, something essential and pure. Something that is hot and something that is cool.

"It's cool in that it's new and fresh, and it's hot, like falling in love, fulfilling dreams. There's an almost erotic aspect in design.

"The next E-Class will be the sleekest and most luxurious E-Class ever," he said.

"If you have CLS generation one in mind, you're pretty much there."

But while the next E-Class shows plenty of CLS design elements with features such as the arching side windows and drooping boot line it's still, in terms of overall proportions, a four-door sedan rather than a four-door coupe.

"It'll tie in with S and C-Class," Wagener said.

There's plenty going on with the next-gen E-Class other than the way it looks.

In addition to the anticipated return of inline six-cylinder engines and a range of three, four and V8 configurations, the E-Class is expected to also usher in a swag of advanced technology that will include things such as partly-autonomous driving, remote-control auto parking in which the driver stands outside while the car manoeuvres into a parking spot, mobile phone-actuated locking-unlocking, extended auto braking that is helped by "Evasive Steering Assist" and is able to detect such things as cross traffic or errant pedestrians, car-to-car communication that signals other drivers of up-ahead road obstructions, and a lighting system that uses 84 individually controllable LEDs to manipulate the light pattern according to circumstances.

The E-Class sedan is expected to be followed by wagon, coupe and convertible versions, as well as the long-wheelbase Maybach variant some time later.