“Emotional design and intelligent high-tech perfectly embody the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy of Sensual Purity,” Mercedes gushes on various social-media channels today, with the release of this sketch. The car to which they are referring is, of course, the next-generation E-class, which will be fully unveiled at the Detroit auto show in less than two weeks.

The highly accurate teaser sketch by exterior design chief Robert Lesnik depicts the new E-class with its “sports grille” and large five-spoke wheels. Daimler also will offer a version of the E-class with the traditional “luxury grille,” which gets an upright three-pointed star on the hood. The new E-class mirrors the styling of the C-class and the S-class, and the proportions work especially well on this executive sedan. The horizontal lower front air intakes add a sporty touch, the upper character line—referred to as the “catwalk line”—is supposed to underscore the vehicle’s elegance.

We expect that at launch the new E-class sedan will be offered as an E300, an E450 AMG Sport, and a Mercedes-AMG E63 S. A diesel and a plug-in hybrid will come later. The main competitors of the E-class include the Audi A6 and the BMW 5-series, both of which are due for replacement in the 2017 calendar year. But before that, Mercedes will roll out a new E-class station wagon, as well as a coupe and a convertible.

(source: caranddriver.com)