A bicyclist �no, we didn't make a mistake- captured footage of the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback while riding with his team from El Golfo to Playa Blanca on the Spanish island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It seems that the German premium carmaker was at the island to shoot video and pictures of the luxury compact model for its press material. The A-Class seen here is the five-door hatchback model, which will be the first body style to be launched onto the market. Mercedes has already confirmed that the 5-door version will make its world premiere at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show in early March. A sportier looking three-door model will follow, possibly withing the next year.
We were supposed to see the next iteration of the Mercedes-Benz CLS for the first time at this fall's Paris Motor Show, however, thanks to an eagle-eyed reader of the Brazilian website Noticiasautomotivas, we now have pictures of the sporty four-door saloon without a hint of camouflage. Believe it or not, the reader caught the 2011 CLS lurking around the German firm's Stuttgart Museum. We assume the car was there for a photo shoot.
The new CLS blends the "banana shaped" body of the outgoing model with styling elements Mercedes-Benz's latest cars such as the E-Class Coupe's heavily shouldered rear wheel arches and the more dramatic front-end design, all previewed on the CLS Shooting Brake Concept.
There are no photos of the interior, but don't expect to see something entirely different the concept study.
Our spy photographers have snagged a lightly camouflaged prototype of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe that is set to hit showrooms along with the facelifted versions of C-Class sedan and Estate early next year. It has been suggested that the arrival of the C-Class Coupe will mean the end of the CLC sport hatch.
Unlike the CLC which is based off the previous generation C-Class, the new coupe is built on the existing C-Class. The newcomer appears to feature a much simpler design than the larger and more expensive E-Class Coupe. Aside from losing two doors, the coupe version of the C-Class gains a more rakish roofline and a redesigned rear end. Don't expect any significant changes over the sedan model inside.
