The Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake is due to roll-off the assembly line at the Mercedes-Benz Plant Sindelfingen in 2012 and if the recent reports are true, we may get a second smaller Shooting Brake a couple years later. Automotive News has reported that Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche has given approval for a second Shooting Brake model based on the upcoming Mercedes CLC that would go on sale in North American in 2014.
The CLC variant would be priced below the larger and more lavish CLS version and will ride on a MFA platform and be offered with a variety of petrol and diesel engines.
The five-door CLC Shooting Brake is expected to be heavily influenced by the Concept Shooting Brake and therefore will receive a sloping roof-line and a heavily-stylized rear end.
The CLS Shooting Brake will go into serial production: As of 2012, the sporty four-door Coupé with sloping tail end based on the CLS will roll-off the assembly line in the Mercedes-Benz Plant Sindelfingen.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board Daimler AG and H ead of Mercedes-Benz Cars: “In 2004, Mercedes-Benz established a new vehicle segment with the four-door Coupé CLS and created a design icon. 170,000 customers around the globe show how enthusiastic this car has been received by the market. The decision to build the CLS Shooting Brake underscores the leading role of Mercedes-Benz in regards of innovative passenger car concepts and design – and that is exactly what the customers expect from us.”
Sindelfingen, as largest production location of Mercedes-Benz globally, will add another model to its manufacturing portfolio. Currently, the plant is building the C-Class Sedan, the E-Class Sedan and Estate, the S-Class and the coupés CLS and CL as well as the Maybach models and Mercedes-Benz Guard vehicles. Recently, the plant started to produce the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and a small series of the B-Class powered by a fuel cell. As of 2014, the Mercedes-Benz SL will also be manufactured in Sindelfingen. The decision for the CLS Shooting Brake also reflects the flexibility of the plant: The new model will be build on the same production line as the CLS and the E-Class Sedan.
Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG for Production and Procurement Mercedes-Benz Cars & Mercedes-Benz Vans: “This new model with its high emotional appeal is another highlight for the Sindelfingen plant. The location decision is an evidence for the significance of the plant as competence centre for the luxury class. The CLS Shooting Brake will contribute to a sustainable capacity utilization in this core location of our production network.”
The fresh and exciting interpretation of the emotionally-appealing Coupé-based design had its premiere as a show car at Auto China in April 2010. Now, this insight by Mercedes designers into the possible future development of the Coupé concept will become reality. In 2012, the CLS Shooting Brake will be launched to the market.
Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “The CLS still makes waves with its fascinating design and wows customers for our brand. With the new generation of the CLS we expand our pioneering role in this segment. We aim to extend this success story with the CLS Shooting Brake and complement our product portfolio with another appealing model. This car is based on the great tradition of a stylish, cultivated sportiness which has always characterised the great Mercedes Coupés, and it takes this unique legacy an exciting step further. At the same time it points the way towards the future design idiom of Mercedes-Benz.”
The proportions are clearly those of a coupé: the long bonnet, narrow-look windows with frameless side windows, and dynamic roof sloping back towards the rear. It is only when taking a second look that it becomes clear that the Shooting Brake actually has four doors and a large rear lid. The model features some astonishing proportions which at the same time are clearly reminiscent of another design icon – the CLS.
It’s all in a name: the origins of the name “Shooting Brake”
Break, or the homonym Brake, was the name once given to carriages used to “break” in wild horses and also to restrict (or “brake”) their urge to move, so that they could be put to use as work horses. Since the carts could easily be broken as part of this process, people tended not to use ones which they may have urgently needed for other purposes. Where necessary, “Brakes” were often fitted out with variable bodies, which were only really used to carry along anything that may have been necessary for the hunt, for example. Any such vehicle which was used when going out shooting was called a Shooting Brake or Shooting Break. In the 1960s and 1970s motorised Shooting Breaks were popular in Great Britain – exclusive cross-over vehicles, which combined the luxuriousness of a coupé with extended space on offer and additional variability.
In 2004, the world was first introduced to the Mercedes-Benz CLS – a model that managed to blend stylish coupe lines with a functional four door design. Since its inception, many automobile manufacturers have have adopted the coupe / sedan mix, but the Mercedes CLS was the first to offer mixed body styling.
Now entering its second generation, new spy photos have emerged from AutoWeek that show the future Mercedes-Benz CLS with nearly no camouflage. In viewing the spy photos, it’s clear that the new Mercedes CLS is taking numerous styling traits from the Concept Shooting Brake, with a prominent grille, aggressively styled front bumper, daytime LED running lights and a long bonnet some of the similarities. The body itself has a coupe styled roofline with exaggerated wheel arches, while the rear of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS benefits from a new taillight design and chrome tipped exhaust.
As we previously posted, the two models said to be coming in the CLS petrol range are the CLS350 CGI and the CLS550 CGI. The first will feature the new direct-injection 3.5 liter V6 engine with an output of 306 PS (301 bhp / 225 kW) and 368 Nm (272 lb-ft) of torque, while the 550 CGI will feature a new 4.6 liter twin-turbocharged V8 that delivers 435 PS (429 bhp / 320 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque. The CLS 550 CGI is expected to be offered with an all-wheel drive option as well. As for the CLS diesel options, look for a 350 CDI with a 3.0 liter V6 producing 185 kW (252 PS) as well as a 250 CDI with a four-cylinder diesel engine producing 150 kW (204 PS).
To see more of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, you can view the new spy photos in the gallery below, and when you’re finished, head over to AutoWeek for the full 2011 CLS article.