Mercedes-Benz has offered a first official glimpse of what the next-generation CLS will look like when it is revealed at the LA motor show at the end of this month.
A new image shows that the upcoming Audi A7 and Porsche Panamera rival's design has taken an evolutionary approach, with new light signatures and a slightly sharper look applied to a familiar, swept-back bodyshape.
Insiders have previously revealed to Autocar that the CLS has been developed with a major push on luxury and refinement, in a bid to create a clearer personality gap between it and the similarly shaped AMG GT four-door. While the future CLS will sport the same number of doors and a hatched boot like the AMG model, its similarities will end there.

Mercedes's new CLS will flaunt high-tech cabin features, like the wide infotainment screen shown in the image below, while the AMG model will have a harder-focus on performance when it arrives in September 2018. As such, the V8-engined AMG CLS 63 discontinued so as not to tread on the AMG GT four door's toes.
The range-topping version of the next CLS will therefore use two fewer cylinders in the form of AMG's turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six engine, paired with a 50kW electric motor. This new hybrid model will be called the CLS 53, the first of several Mercedes-AMGs to adopt the number.
The hybrid AMG CLS's combined system output is expected to exceed 450bhp, ranking it more than 100bhp behind the current V8-engined CLS 63 S. However, the hybrid model's electric torque-filling ability should ensure performance is much closer.
The hybrid CLS is expected to come with regenerative braking technology to help replenish its lithium ion batteries when on the move. This technology is already in use elsewhere in Mercedes' range, and would come as part of 48V electric architecture.

The wider CLS range's push for luxury is backed by the success of its close relative, the E-Class, which remains the executive saloon segment's luxury leader. The CLS will share much of its underpinnings with the E-Class, as well as a selection of turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which will form the bulk of its engine line-up.
Six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines will come in higher-ranking non-AMG models, tuned with a focus on smooth torque delivery and efficiency.
Along with its technical similarities, the CLS will inherit design features inspired by the E-Class, albeit with sharper styling to match its sleeker bodyshape.

Some of the semi-autonomous driving technology of the E-Class will be carried over to the CLS, including Speed Limit Pilot, which automatically adjusts the speed of the vehicle in relation to posted speed limits, and Active Lane Change Assist, which is able to autonomously perform a lane change.
The infotainment software and menus will all be related to those featured in the E-Class, with the image of the car's interior (top) showing that the dashboard will also feature a near identical layout for its vents and centre console.
The Shooting Brake estate version of the CLS is expected to be dropped due to low demand. Only 750 CLS Shooting Brakes were sold in the UK last year.