Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break Concept

[ahmed_7erzon]

No, that's not a typo. The latest design exercise from Mercedes-Benz, set to make its debut at this week's 2010 Beijing Auto Show, is in fact called the Shooting Break concept. That's 'Break,' not the more traditional English 'brake' normally reserved for two-door, wagon-styled, coupe-based hatchbacks originally designed for hunting trips. But perhaps that's because this isn't that type of car.
No, this Shooting Break concept leaves the stuffy 'old world' shooting brake neatly in the dust, replacing it with what is essentially a sneak peek of what a wagon version of the next CLS sedan could look like. Of course many of the oft-emulated CLS "four-door coupe" elements are there -- the slippery arched profile; the swooping character line that runs seamlessly from front to rear; the long, taut body lines. But Mercedes has borrowed plenty of new elements to keep things fresh.

Those wide DTM-inspired rear fender haunches are pulled off the new E-Class sedan and coupe, and were also visible on the 2008 ConceptFASCINATION that debuted in Paris. That concept also lends its wagon rear to the Shooting Brake -- though curiously, no mention of that term was made two years ago. The nose incorporates the pronounced 'classic style' grille design of the new SLS AMG supercar, also seen in Mercedes' F800 Style concept from the 2010 Geneva Motor Show -- a car also said to give an advanced look at the next-generation CLS.
More elements from that concept also carry over, but in a more production-friendly way. The LED headlamps retain their sharp profile, but are made slightly larger; the aggressive lower front fascia is carried over nearly intact, with gaping air intakes flanking the center grille. Even the scalloped sides aft of the front wheel wells are present. Recessed door handles are said to emerge at the touch of a hand, yet sadly, the reverse-hinged rear passenger doors have been dropped from the package. Twenty-inch wheels fill out the Shooting Brake's fender arches.