The Mercedes-Benz CLS is an executive-size sedan based on the W211 E-Class platform. Marketed as a 'four door coupe,' the CLS recalls the fastback saloon designs of Robert Opron (born 1932) in the 1970s but is actually the work of the influential American automotive designer, Michael Fink (born 1967) who styled the first CLK, the C-Sportcoupe', and is known as the stylist who penned the Maybach 57 and 62 respectively. According to a Mercedes-Benz press release, the CLS-class was produced to combine the "strong, emotive charisma" of a coupe with the "comfort and practicality" of a saloon. Save for its four-door design, the CLS's design tends towards a coupe, as its sleek roofline reduces the rear passenger room to a 2+2 arrangement, and it offers a smaller selection of engines tending towards high powered of the range, compared to contemporary sedans such as the E-Class.
The current iteration of the CLS is internally designated as the C219 and it was first offered for sale in Europe in autumn 2004. It is assembled by Daimler AG in Sindelfingen, Germany and Mercedes-Benz-Valdez in Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico.
The next generation CLS was first seen being tested in 2009, with a scheduled introduction in 2010. It was introduced first on the NAIAS in Detroit, in January 2010, by a sculpture showing the new design for Mercedes cars. Rumours state the CLS might be the first car to introduce a new line of AMG engines, replacing the 6.2 V8 used in all 63 AMG's except W220 S63 and C215 CL63.
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