2018 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS OFFICIAL TEASERS

The third-generation Mercedes CLS is due next year and there have been plenty of spy-shots doing the rounds.

Just recently there were shots from Cataluna that reveal quite a lot more of the vehicle than before. It's pretty much just grey tape hiding certain elements of the front and back, revealing a sleek four-door coupe similar to what we're accustomed to. The boomerang-shaped LED lights and clusters are clearly visible, bracketing the E-Class Coupe-styled front grill, while the rear reminds us of the C-Class Coupe.

Apart from these spy-shots, Mercedes have revealed official images of the front and dash too. The darken image of the front gives little away beside just a sliver of red paint and those boomerang-shaped LEDs.

It's our first look at the interior though, albeit just a portion of the dash including dials and the central display screen. Unsurprisingly, it seems to be that which is found in the current E-Class but looks incredible nonetheless.

We expect that the styling of this new generation will be pushed to the max while, as per the E-Class it's based on, its focus will be on comfort and luxury – leaving the performance aspect to its sibling in the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept.

Speaking at the New York Motor Show earlier this year, Mercedes chief design officer, Gorden Wagener, said: “The CLS is for James Bond, and the GT Concept is for Jason Bourne. That describes the different approaches to those vehicles.

“The GT Concept is more of a four-door race car; for me, the CLS is more the stylish car, the designer car – the design icon. The next generation will be even more. It’ll be a completely reduced car, with an aggressive roofline and stunning proportions, like a designer’s sketch. We thought about how to get these cars apart.

“Head clearance will stay pretty much the same,” Wagener continued. “We get bigger wheels on it, too, so we can push them up into the body. The side window profile is like a designer’s line drawing – very slim.”

The CLS will make its official debut at the 2017 Los Angeles Motor Show along with another unnamed Mercedes. Stay tuned!

Check out the video below for more: