A mule of the next Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake has been spotted in Northern Sweden during some cold weather testing, were these spy shots were taken. In the plans of the three-pointed star house this new model is going to pioneer a new niche of the market, that puts together the oomph of a coupe with the body of a sporty station-wagon. The final goal is to fill any gap that hasn’t been explored yet in the luxury car market.

This “station-coupe” model from Mercedes-Benz seems to have kept the bold styling of the Shooting Brake Concept, that was showcased for the first time at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show. Bodywork aside, this new variant will be identical to the classic CLS sedan, with the same platform and engine range.

Thereby the Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake should come with four engine options: the petrol line-up includes a 3.5-litre V6 producing 306 hp and a 4.7-litre twin turbo V8 delivering 408 hp; on the diesel side we have a 2.1-litre twin turbo unit producing 204 hp and 500 Nm of peak torque and the recent 3.0-litre V6, with an output of 265 hp and 620 Nm. AMG and AMG Performance variants are obviously in the works too, equipped with the same 5.5-litre twin turbo V8 unit delivering 525 hp and 700 Nm for the former and 557 CV with 800 Nm for the latter. The new Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake is expected to show up at the next Geneva Motor Show.

View the full Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake spy shots photo gallery

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These new spy shots show us the Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake stripped of almost any sort of camouflage. As expected, the luxury staion wagon based on the CLS sedan will be very similar to the Shooting Brake Concept unveiled at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, creating a new niche in the market for cars combining the practicality of an estate with the exclusivity and performance of a premium coupe-saloon. Engine range and versions will probably be the same of the CLS line, including all the AMG editions.

The Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake is expected to debut in 2012, possibly at the next Geneva Motor Show.

View the full Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake: spy shots photo gallery

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The new Mercedes CLS gets a body-kit from Lorinser tuning. The German tuners have fitted new aerodynamic parts to the car, for a little extra grunt and exclusivity to the coupe-sedan.

The Mercedes CLS tuning gets a larger front fascia, added air intakes, side skirts and rear extractor with a new four-pipe exhaust. An aerodynamic lip also adorns the boot and we get new matte grey tint.

From these pics the CLS looks to have been lowered, highlighting the large wheels, but no technical details are available. Overall the treatment gives the CLS a new, hefty and meaner look.

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This Mercedes CLS Edition Black tuning by Kicherer sees the CLS 500 get a mean look and some updated power. Thanks to a new electronic engine mapping system and an updated exhaust, the CLS Edition Black has 470 hp and 600 Nm of torque. That’s an extra 52 hp and 90 Nm on the standard version.

In addition to that, the Kicherer tuners have installed a new “PowerConverter” tool on the accelerator for a faster, more responsive acceleration. The style updates are quite discreet, with a new matte black exterior and carbon components and trim. A new set of handmande, 20-inch wheels complete the package.

Continue reading: Mercedes CLS Edition Black by Kicherer

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This bevy of new pictures of the new Mercedes CLS 63 AMG is enough to convince us that it is one of the most elegant cars of the year. What’s more, the guys in the design department have also managed to include some more sporty, aggressive lines giving a good balance to the smooth style and something extra which should appeal further to the male audience.

The CLS 63 AMG gets a new 5.5-litre, twinturbo V8 engine with 557 hp and 800 Nm. The video after the jump will prove to you that despite the two turbocompressors, it’s still got a sound like a traditionally aspirated unit which is not to be underestimated for fans of the AMG badge. The new automatic, seven-speed Speedshift MCT transmission is included and despite the supercar performance, we get fuel consumption of 9.9 l/100 km and 231 g/km of CO2.

The new model comes in two versions with the standard one having 525 hp and 700 Nm, while the Performance Package provides the figures mentioned above. Top speed is limited to 250 km/hr and acceleration time is 4.3 seconds on the performance model, or 4.4 seconds for the standard job. Obviously Mercedes has kitted the CLS AMG with plenty of extra goodies, including Ride Control suspension settings of Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus, new LED lights and optional carbon ceramic brakes.

Continue reading: Mercedes CLS 63 AMG more pics and video

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While eyetracking technology can be used on men to find out what happens to be an unromantic take on women, it can be used on subjects for the Mercedes CLS to prove that a car’s design can create emotions. It’s an interesting link and while it would be difficult to quantify the emotional response, it turns out that stuff like a long bonnet, waistline, roofline and taillights combine to elicit an emotional response to a car’s design. What Mercedes set out to do is probably just show off its CLS model again, but we like the video as a different take on the usual standard efforts we see on marketing the good looks of a car.

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Rumours that AMG could look at a Ducati takeover in the future after its new sponsorship and marketing deal will be met with more than just skepticism, with the Italians probably thinking that AMG has no business with their bikes. In the meantime we wanted to take a closer look at the first steps in the joint image marketing. In these pics and the video (after the jump) we see the new Mercedes CLS 63 AMG lined up beside the Ducati Diavel, the latest in the Italian bike manufacturer’s line-up.

The Diavel is Ducati’s new cruiser invention and while it’s got enough of the novelty factor to pull off the pics and video, frankly a classic sports Ducati would have been more in line with the AMG performance soul. According to the takeover reports, AMG badged Ducatis would be part of a strategy to create a more environmentally friendly brand but we’ve got our serious doubts on this one. See how the two pair up in the images and the video after the jump, with the Ducati press release announcing the partnership.

Continue reading: Mercedes CLS 63 AMG and the Ducati Diavel: pics and video

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Here’s the new Mercedes CLS live at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and we’re thinking of a sexiest car prize for this year as it seems the French event has attracted some lovely models. The new Mercedes CLS is a redesigned version of the original model and it’s definitely a more imposing car with a more prominent front end, sculpted sides and a brand new rear end.

The Mercedes CLS also gets significant modifications under the bonnet with a new line of engines which focuses on cleaner motoring. Overall the CLS has reduced emissions by 25 percent with all engine units being equipped with start&stop technology. Other extra technology included on the new model is the Direct Steer system, LED High Performance lights which combine with Mercedes calls its Intelligent Light System.

The European launch set for January 2011 will see the new 3.5-litre V6 debut with 306 hp, joined by the new 3.0-litre V6 CDI with 265 hp and 620 Nm of torque. Two months later we’ll see the arrival of the 2.1 CDI on the CLS 250 CDI model (204 hp, 500 Nm and fuel consumption of 5.1 l/100 km), and in April the 4.7-litre V8 twin-turbo will debut on the CLS 500. It will have 408 hp and not the 435 hp destined for the Mercedes S-Class.

Continue reading: New Mercedes CLS live at 2010 Paris Motor Show

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This is the first commercial we’ve seen for the Mercedes CLS and while it’s all about “pure fascination” and “sensuality and sense”, it wasn’t really what we were expecting for the sleek coupé-sedan. Providing some hefty first-in-best-dressed competition for the Audi A7 Sportback and the upcoming BMW Grand Coupé we’ll be honest and say that the car commercial could be a make or break moment for all these models in carving out their space of the market share. And this ad doesn’t really scream the luxury and beauty of the Mercedes CLS. Still, maybe we’ve been used to seeing these kinds of cars motoring along roads with beautiful landscape to the sound of symphonic music. In which case, it’s at least an attempt to try something new.

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Here is the first video of the new Mercedes CLS in which we can further see the design elements based on the shooting brake concept. The CLS will go on sale from autumn this year and should be available with five engine options: the CLS 350 CGI, CLS 500, and the three diesel models of the CLS 250 CDI, CLS 300 and 350 CDI. The two more powerful versions should appear with the Mercedes 4Matic all-wheel-drive technology. Take a closer look in the video above.

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These new Mercedes CLS high res pics have been released before the four-door coupé has its official debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The 2012 Mercedes CLS is as smooth as ever and with BMW and Audi trailing ever since it first came on the market in 2004, the new CLS should provide some very stiff competition for the 2012 BMW Grand Coupé and the new Audi A7 Sportback to be launched in Europe in November.

The design follows the inspiration of what Mercedes calls a “feline predator” and is an example of just how good Mercedes is at uniting sportiness with elegance. In a more aggressive style, Mercedes has included flared wheel arches and muscular lines on its new CLS. The interior gets a few new design touches too, including a new sports steering wheel and column gear shift.

The CLS is as technological as we’d expect it to be with full LED technology across the board (Mercedes says it’s used 71 bulbs in the front headlight set-up and side lamps) and Night View function. While the new CLS is an example of Mercedes’ emerging design direction for the years to come, it is also clearly an evolution on the original 2004 model.

New Mercedes CLS

Continue reading: New 2012 Mercedes CLS pics released

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The Mercedes Shooting Brake concept will go on show at the Beijing motor show and here is a full gallery of the concept and a video. We had orginally expected the shooting brake to be a coupé style concept, but in reality the car introduces the new Mercedes CLS Station Wagon. The CLS Station Wagon is a model that Mercedes has on more than one occasion announced it would plan, and we should see a production version towards the end of 2011. See the Shooting Brake video after the jump for all the details on the concept.

Continue reading: Mercedes Shooting Brake Concept pics and video

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