2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake spy shots

The CLS Shooting Brake is based on the brand’s second-generation luxury four-door ‘coupe’, and inherits the sleek lines of the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake concept that debuted at the 2010 Beijing auto show.

Previous spy photos have already given us a sneak peak at the CLS Shooting Brake in standard trim, and from today’s shots it’s clear the CLS63 AMG version won’t simply blend into the crowd.

Like the CLS sedan range, the AMG Shooting Brake benefits from a more aggressive grille, front fascia and headlights, and also scores five-spoke AMG alloy wheels, bigger brakes and quad exhaust outlets.

The CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake will feature the same 386kW/700Nm 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 as the CLS sedan, which should see it launch from 0-100km/h in well under five seconds (the sedan does it in 4.4 seconds).

The Shooting Brake’s specifications and features are likely to carry over from the four-door model.

Mercedes-Benz Australia’s David McCarthy said he was hopeful the CLS Shooting Brake range would arrive in local showrooms before the end of the year, but admitted its launch could push out to early 2013 depending on availability from Germany.

He confirmed Australia’s CLS Shooting Brake line-up would include the 195kW/620Nm CLS350 CDI diesel and the flagship CLS63 AMG. The petrol-powered CLS350 and CLS500 have not been signed off yet, but McCarthy expects those two to also join the range to mirror the sedan line-up.

Mercedes-Benz Australia has sold 304 CLS sedans in Australia since the model’s local launch in June 2011. McCarthy said the company had already taken a number of expressions of interest for the Shooting Brake variant.