by Trish Whelan. The new Mercedes-Benz CLS Coupe has gone on sale in Ireland at a starting price of €84,610.
The stylish car is slotted between the C-Class and E-Class. The car was developed from a coupé study which Mercedes-Benz presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in autumn 2003.
The initial engine range includes two petrol units: in the CLS 350 a newly developed V6 with 272 hp and in the CLS 500 an eight-cylinder unit with 306 hp. Both engines are partnered by a new seven-speed automatic transmission as standard. A 3.2-litre diesel will be introduced in the autumn.
In the top CLS 500 model features such as air suspension and four-zone climate control provide S-Class levels of comfort.
The Mercedes-Benz Division of Motor Distributors Ltd say they will sell 200 units this year.
Pictured below at the Irish press launch today, with rally ace Rosemary Smith, are Tom O'Dowd, MD O'Flaherty Holdings; Nigel O'Flaherty, chairman of MDL; and Matt Fagan, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz Ireland.
