Mercedes-Benz ConceptFASCINATION

This may just be the sexiest station wagon ever.

Technically, with just two doors instead of four, Mercedes-Benz’s Paris auto show design study is a shooting brake and not a wagon, but it is a looker nonetheless. The angular, businesslike nose isn’t too dissimilar to current Mercedes-Benz models, while a sharply sloped roof and chunky rear haunches make for an aggressive stance. All the side windows are frameless, à la CLS-class, and can be lowered all the way.

Things look just as good on the inside. The cabin is decked out in walnut wood trim, aluminum, and leather. The cargo bay is exquisitely finished but poorly adapted for hauling. It has a wooden floor with aluminum rails to prevent scratching, and there’s 11 square feet or so of floor space for hauling stuff.

Compartments in the cargo area conceal two pairs of binoculars and a high-end digital camera. Mercedes says these are “the perfect equipment for a day at the races, for example.” The bay also houses a smoked-glass table that hides a humidor and refrigerator. The table slides to the rear of the car for picnicking, presumably with cigars and champagne.

No concept is complete without a panoramic glass roof, and the typical Mercedes two-bulb headlight design has been squared off into rhomboid shapes now employing LED bulbs with fiber-optic running lights.

The ConceptFASCINATION is powered by a 2.2-liter diesel four-cylinder. The engine boasts Mercedes’s BlueTec and AdBlue planet-saving technology and produces 204 horsepower.

Other than the greenhouse and roofline, this concept's exterior styling shows us the next-generation E-class, which will go on sale in the U.S. in late 2009 as a 2010 model. The LED headlights aren't quite ready for primetime, but the face and sculpted sides look nearly identical to the production vehicle. The wild rear fender flares are confirmed for the E-class, and they appear to be decoration for the sake of decoration. We'll withhold judgment until we see production cars in the sheet metal. We don't expect to see humidors in M-B showrooms, but the production car's cabin will wear this concept's theme.

The 2010 replacement for the CLK-class will be based on the E-class (the current CLK is based on the smaller C-class) and also will share ConceptFASCINATION's styling. Picture this concept with a conventional coupe's roofline and you're not far off. Possibly called the E-coupe, it will go on sale in the U.S. before the E-class sedan, possibly as soon as fall of 2009. A convertible is expected to follow as a 2011 model.

We don’t expect an official look at the new E-class or the CLK-class's replacement until the 2009 Geneva auto show in March.