Mercedes Cls 2007

On sale in Europe in 2004, the CLS was offered for sale in the United States in January 2005 as the CLS 500 and CLS 55 AMG. In 2006, Mercedes phased out both the 5.0L in the CLS 500 and 5.5L Supercharged V8 in the CLS 55 AMG in favor of two new 5.5L and 6.2L V8s. This resulted in the 2007 model year name change to the CLS 63 AMG (6.2L V8) and CLS 550 (5.5L V8) in the United States. The CLS 500 badge continues to be used in various markets with the 5.5L V8 motor.

The CLS-class was first displayed as the Vision CLS concept at the 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The production version CLS 500 made its debut at the 2004 New York International Auto Show. A new AMG model was introduced at the 2004 Paris Motor Show, the CLS 55 AMG. Only 3,000 CLS 55 AMG cars were to be built each year. The first generation of the CLS, the Mercedes-Benz C219, was based upon the W219 platform, a W211 E-Class spin-off that is six inches (152 mm) longer. IVM Automotive, a subsidiary of German roof system specialist Edscha, developed the entire vehicle from the Vision concept to the production version. More than 150 IVM engineers were involved, making the CLS the largest vehicle development project in the company's history.[citation needed]

The CLS name also caused some to confuse it as the four-door version of the CL-Class, the full-sized coupe based on the S-Class.[citation needed] Due to the popularity of the CLS-Class, other manufacturers are offering similar four-door fastback sedans, such as the Volkswagen Passat CC, Citroën C6 and Honda Civic.[citation needed]

The Mercedes-Benz CLS is an executive-size sedan originally launched in 2004 and based on the W211 E-Class platform and was internally designated as the C219. The second generation CLS-Class was introduced in September 2010 and production started in the beginning of 2011.

3.0L Diesel V6 224 hp 2004-present 3.0L Diesel V6 272 hp 2009-present 3.5L 272 hp (203 kW) V6 (2006-2010) 5.5L 382 hp (285 kW) V8 (2007-2010) 6.2L 507 hp (378 kW) V8 (2007-2010) 5.0L 302 hp (225 kW) V8 (2006)

Mercedes-Benz has planned a yearly production of 30,000 units worldwide, of which about 10,000 will be shipped to the U.S. market. The CLS 550 has a base price of US$65,620, with the CLS 55 starting at US$87,320. CLS63 starts at $92,500 for a base model, and is offered with steering wheel mounted paddles (F1 style), and 19" wheels for the US market. It was assembled by Daimler AG in Sindelfingen, Germany and Mercedes-Benz-Valdez in Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico.