What was the first flagship sedan of the class of Mercedes-Benz which preceded the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class?
Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W220) The Mercedes-Benz W220 was a series of flagship sedans which constituted the Mercedes-Benz S-Class during the early to mid-2000s. Development for the W220 S-Class started in 1992, with the final design, helmed by Steve Mattin being approved in 1994 and frozen for production in the first half of 1995. The completed prototypes were presented in June 1998. The W220 started production in August 13, 1998, and the C215 CL-Class coupés started production in 1999. The W220 was a replacement for the earlier W140 S-Class after the 1998 model year. Compared to its predecessor, the W220 had somewhat smaller exterior dimensions but offered more interior space, particularly in the long-wheelbase versions (although the trunk is smaller than on its W140 predecessor). Production of the W220 totalled 485,000 units, slightly more than the production totals from the W140. Production ended in 2006 when the W220 was replaced by the W221 S-Class and the C215 was replaced in 2006 by the C216 CL-Class.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W210) The Mercedes-Benz W210 is an executive car which was produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz from 1995 through 2002 (production of the wagon variant (codenamed S210) carried over to the 2003 model year). They were sold under the E-Class model names in both sedan (saloon) and station wagon body types. W210 development started in 1988, three years after the W124's introduction. The W210 E-class's appearance, which was designed by Steve Mattin under design chief Bruno Sacco between 1989 and 1991, heralded a new design idiom for Mercedes, which would continue until the W209 CLK. W210 design work was frozen in May 1992 and developed for a show vehicle by late 1992. This design was previewed on the 1993 Coupé Concept shown at the Geneva Auto Show in March 1993. Design patents for both the Coupé Concept and the W210 E-Class were filed on 25 February 1993 in Germany and August 25, 1993 in the US.