Not The New Mercedes CLS...

But 'Rising Car' sculpture does offer clues to next-gen '4-door coupe'

By Chris-R / Monday, 11 January 2010 / Loading comments

When economic conditions mean you haven't been given a budget for a proper concept car, a piece of 'car art' may have to suffice.

Mercedes-Benz isn't short of real metal on its Detroit show stand to be fair, with a brand new E-class cabrio and of course the nearly-new SLS to delight the punters.

So perhaps being offered a sculpture instead of a concept by the M-B design department isn't such a raw deal, and this one is at least said to provide clues as to the shape of the new CLS four door that's due next year.

Key features we're supposed to pick up on are the flowing lines, especially over the more tightly-drawn nose with its SLS-inspired grille, and fatter more muscular haunches at the rear.

Amusingly, when the sheet was pulled off the sculpture, it revealed a sculpture that itself was modelled after a car under a sheet. Who says the Germans' don't have a sense of humour?

Some passers-by likened the resulting 'artwork' to Han Solo embedded in Carbonite (or whatever it was) from the Star Wars movie, and at first glance there does seem to be a definite resemblance.

Hopefully some public-spirited PHer will find a picture and we can make our minds up at leisure...