New Mercedes CLS revealed

This is the new Mercedes CLS, replacement for the car that introduced the four-door coupe format to European executive saloons just three years ago in 2007.

Like the original this is a long, low car with a short sloping boot and a long bonnet - and judging by these images, it would appear to have the potential to be just as visually controversial.

The dramatic banana curve waistline of the 2007 has mostly been flattened, your eye instead drawn to a pair of side panel creases that converge on a bulbous rear wheel-arch similar to the S Class's. If all this makes it sound a little odd, then you get the idea.