Mercedes Rising Star Concept Hints At Next-Generation CLS

Over the past year or so Mercedes has been launching the successors to all it’s models, most recently it was the new Mercedes E-Class that made its debut worldwide. The S-Class and C-Class have both been introduced and so far have gone down very well with traditional Mercedes customers and even attracting some new, younger, customers.

That’s mainly due to the marque’s bold new design language that take a drastically different direction than the very safe, very regular, very rounded shapes of past models. So speaking of models that are due for replacement, the next-generation Mercedes CLS is already in it’s finishing stages and though spy shots have been limited and not very helpful, these pictures released by Mercedes are the first images that suggest but in no way confirm, the design of the next CLS.

Details are limited but the “sculpture” of the new car shows some flowing sweeping lines, muscular wheel arches and a pronounced grille. Mercedes says the concept “represents a vehicle rising gently from a level place – as if formed from liquid silver, or like a shimmering cloth draped gently over a new form.”

Mercedes calls it a showpiece but the Rising Star concept is expected to preview the 2011 CLS, and if that’s true and the CLS does borrow some design cues from the Rising Star, then expect it to live up to it’s predecessor’s glory. Official press release below.

Press Release

Art and automobile design

Alongside the E-Class Cabriolet and the SLS AMG, Mercedes-Benz is also treating visitors to the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit to a stunning automobile sculpture. It represents a vehicle emerging gently from a flat plane, exaggerating and disguising its form to create an exclusive, sensuous element. The sculpture expresses the car as a new art form and demonstrates that styling and modeling at Mercedes-Benz Design is closely linked to artistic creativity. Naturally, the sculpture also challenges the onlooker to speculate which future, real-life product may ultimately emerge from this flowing creative process.