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 in the 1970s. 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.
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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.
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