One of the more popular recent executive shapes from Mercedes has been its CLS, the sleek looking 2+2 coupé.  Now ahead of the 2010 Paris motor show, Mercedes has released official images of its facelifted CLS that will go head to head with Audi’s latest car, the A7.

“The new CLS points the way forward for the future perceptible design idiom of Mercedes-Benz”, explained Professor Gorden Wagener, head of design at Mercedes-Benz. “At the same time it takes its inspiration from the great tradition of stylish, refined sportiness which has always been a feature of Mercedes coupés.”

The CLS has grown more muscular hips and a more pronounced front area as opposed to the more reclined look of the present CLS.  At the moment there is no word on the performance of the new CLS, but expect to see a 5 litre sized top end model available for around £60,000 OTR and a premium AMG version to follow in the months after its initial release.

In the mean time, tell us what you think of the facelifted CLS in the comments.  An improvement on the original or a step back by Mercedes?