The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is a pretty spectacular vehicle. Even if you're not sold on the styling, just try driving around in the full-size, "four door coupe" that makes -- on the bottom end -- 402 horsepower; you'll be sold. But as nice as it is, Mercedes-Benz isn't Bentley.
Spend 15 minutes in any halfway decent section of LA and you'll see a dozen CLSs and only one, maybe two, Bentley Continental GTs and fewer Flying Spurs. It represents a different level of success and style. And -- sort of like they did with Maybach and Rolls Royce -- Mercedes-Benz is looking to bring in a new model to compete directly with Bentley in terms of price, performance and exclusivity.
According to Autocar, Mercedes is prepping a new four-door "uber CLS" to fight the Bentley. The new vehicle would have a more dramatic shape and use tuned AMG parts to further distance it from its CLS roots and to justify the proposed price hike. The CLS currently starts at $71,300 while the 2012 Continental GT rings up a nice, fat $189,900.
The ultra-coupe market is still booming in Russia and the Mid-Eas, after all, and if you've got the parts, why not? A CL- version and a Xenatec / Excelero-style version for Maybach should be expected should this plan bear fruit.
First they go for the 911 with the SLC and now this. What's next?
(Autocar )
albook says:
07:26 AM, 05/25/11
Hopefully MB doesn't start trying too hard to be like everyone else. Currently, they're the only luxury brand not screwing up. MB knows its place in the market as standard in the world and until now has not tried too hard to follow anyone else.
bankerdanny says:
12:11 PM, 05/25/11
The original CLS was an amazingly beautiful vehicle. That thing in the above photo is $100k+ of Aztek level ugly.
93aero says:
06:06 PM, 05/25/11
I love the new cls over the old one. They both were interesting ideas...four door coupe....not sold on that crap. But its a slick looking four door. However, doesn't the S class AMG cover some of their bases when it comes to a high performance large sedan? Unless this is more the four door counterpart to the SLS. maybe they are expanding AMG as a brand in itself!
mercedesfan says:
11:26 AM, 05/26/11
"But as nice as it is, Mercedes-Benz isn't Bentley."
True, they're better. Haha, I kid. But in all seriousness I have never cared for the bling-tastic styling of modern Bentleys.
Anyway, this rumor has been bouncing around for years actually. It won't be an "uber-CLS" but rather a kind of 4-door-coupe version of the S-Class. It's always been proved false because the market at that level is really quite small and the top-tier S-Class already makes a compelling case against the Conti. I'll be interested to see how this plays out this time. I suppose there could be room for this car, but they have to make darn sure it doesn't steal sales from the S. I bet that will be the deciding factor,