In the olden days, carriages were used to ''break'' in wild horses and restrict (brake) their urge to move, before being used as work horses. Given the wild nature of the horses, carts that were not immediately in need were used for this task. Where necessary, "Brakes" were often fitted out with variable bodies, which were only really used to carry along anything that may have been necessary for the hunt, for example. Thus, the vehicles used when going out shooting were called Shooting Brake or Shooting Break.
The popularity of motorized shooting brakes was high in Great Britain, way back in the 1960s and 1970s. These were designed as exclusive cross-over vehicles, which combined the luxuriousness of a coupe with extended space on offer and additional variability.
Mercedes-Benz already had their CLS which still turns heads with its fascinating design and wows customers the world over. Mercedes decided to take the CLS design into the new decade with the announcement of the CLS Shooting Brake.
Based on the great tradition of stylish, cultivated sportiness in reverence to the great Mercedes coupes, the new CLS Shooting Brake takes this unique legacy an exciting step further. In addition, it also points the way towards the future design language that Mercedes is moving towards since the past couple of years.
Scheduled for introduction in 2012, the CLS Shooting Brake is yet another feather in the cap for Mercedes' premier plant in Sindelfingen. This model will be built on the same production line as the CLS and the E-Class saloon; where it will be joined by the Mercedes-Benz SL in 2014. This decision further underlines the significance of the plant as the competence centre for the luxury
class.
First the SLS AMG and now the CLS Shooting Brake. This exciting design philosophy reiterates the role of Mercedes-Benz as a leader in innovative passenger car concepts and design.
