The Mercedes CLS created a market for swooping four-door coupe saloons, and now it’s raised the bar.

The second-generation CLS received its world debut at the Paris Motor Show, and sees a raft of updates to fend off competition from the Audi A7 Sportback and Volkswagen Passat CC.
The CLS gets a new look, but keeps the svelte coupe lines it has been praised for. Its rear haunches have been beefed up, and the front gets a snouty grille reminiscent of the SLS AMG supercar.
Every engines is new, and are said to deliver fuel economy improvements of up to 25 per cent. Four engines will be available: two petrol and two diesel.
The CLS 350 CDI and 250 CDI are likely to be the biggest sellers, offering 204 and 265bhp respectively. A pair of petrols will also be offered: the 306bhp 350 and the 208bhp 500.
A hot AMG version will be offered at a later date.
The most-efficient version of the Mercedes S Class also received its debut in Paris. Mercedes says the car is the first car in the luxury class to achieve fuel comsumption figures of more than 49.5mpg.
CO2 emissions of just 149g/km undercuts the forthcoming two-wheel drive Audi A8 and will appeal to chauffeurs looking for luxury with low running costs.

  

 

The BMW 1 Series-sized Lexus CT 200h hybrid will debut in October with fuel and emissions figures claimed to match eco-friendly superminis.

The petrol/electric CT 200h hybrid is claimed to produce 96g/km and return a combined 68.8mpg.
The CO2 figure beats many smaller models like Ford Fiesta econetic 1.6 diesel, which returns 98g/km, although at 76.3mpg the Fords is more economical.
The Lexus uses a derivative of Toyota’s petrol/electric hybrid drive, with a 202kw electric motor working in tandem with a 1.8 litre, variable valve petrol engine. This is mated to a self-shifting CVT transmission.
The car can automatically switch from petrol to fully electric mode, when it is capable of traveling up to a mile and a half at speeds of nearly 30mph.
The electric motor also provides extra power under regular acceleration, and the car has a combined power output of 134bhp. It accelerates to 62mph in just over ten seconds.
The electric motor acts as a generator during braking or when the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal.
The CT 200h will complete against compact executive cars like the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, which are currently sold with a variety of engines and transmissions, but without hybrid versions.

  

 

Audi is launching a high performance version of its A1 baby car, but it won’t wear S1 badges.
Other S-series Audis have four-wheel drive, but the A1 1.4 TSFi 185PS is front driven.
Powered by a turbo and surpercharged petrol engine, shared with the VW Polo GTi but said to be upgraded to further increase performance, the front-drive S1 will use electronic stability technology to control the extra power of around 183bhp.
The high performance baby car will have lowered suspension and bigger wheels and tyres to cope with a sub 7 second 0-62mph time and 140mph plus top speed.
The A1 is the smallest Audi since the alloy bodied, five-door A2, which had limited sales thanks to it being costly to build and buy. However, examples now have a firm used following and still command strong residuals.