► CLS Shooting Brake axed from 2018
► Curvaceous estate lasts only one generation
► Poor sales in US, China to blame
Mercedes-Benz is to pull the plug on the oddball CLS Shooting Brake after only one generation, CAR magazine has learned. The new Mk3 CLS family due in 2018 will be pared back to drop the curvy load lugger.
The replacement CLS estate had made it from the drawing board to final sign-off in Stuttgart and we hear that the design of the five-door had already been approved to great internal acclaim. Yet management pulled the plug at the eleventh hour, citing a distinct lack of interest from North American and Chinese importers.
Click here to read our long-term test of the Merc CLS S/B.
Why is Merc axing the CLS Shooting Brake?
Not too long ago, the German premium brands occupied every niche they could find. But now that China no longer booms, Russia is on the sickbed and the Middle East stagnates at best, almost all makes have embarked on yet another cost-cutting mission.
It’s why the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes are gradually halting the incessant proliferation of bodystyles. Three-door entry-level models (A3, 1-series and A-class) are in the process of being binned and the CLS Shooting Brake is another casualty.