Mercedes hasn’t said when the new CLS will go on sale or if a production version will be shown to the public, but this wagon concept reveals some serious clues as to the new CLS’ shape, especially the front end, which we don’t expect to be much different in the sedan.

The profile also sports some severe styling; the back droops down in a similar fashion to Porsche’s new Panamera.

This concept makes us think Mercedes will offer a wagon version of the CLS eventually, but as sometimes happens it may not be offered in the U.S.

Check out more photos below and tell us what you think in the comment section.

There are a few steps involved, though.

1. Open the YouTube app.

2. Search for “carscom.”

3. Click on any of the videos posted by “Carscom.”

4. Once you’re on the video page, click the “More From” tab.

That will bring up every one of our YouTube videos in chronological order. So if you missed any of the coverage from the New York auto show, you can get up to speed or check out reviews of new models like the VW Golf in these screenshots. You can also subscribe to our videos on this page. We recommend watching the videos in full-screen size, where they look pretty darn good in our humble opinion (see below).

From SUVs and crossovers to wagons and sedans, the auto show played host to numerous luxury models including the U.S. debut of the redesigned 2011 Porsche Cayenne, 2011 BMW 5 Series and 2011 Volvo S60, which were joined by newcomers like the 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon and 2011 Lexus CT 200h hybrid.

The features and technology available in these and other luxury models will no doubt drum up interest among people shopping for their first luxury car, but it may well be social considerations that keep current luxury-car owners in the fold.

“It’s awfully hard to leave luxury once you’re in luxury,” said Rebecca Lindland, director of industry research at IHS Global Insight. “You just get used to projecting a certain image and you’re used to a certain look in your vehicle, a certain touch and feel.

“If you still have your job and you’re OK with your mortgage and you are in premium [cars], it’s just a lot easier to stay there … rather than explain to your friends why you’re driving non-premium.”

Even though the desire to remain in a luxury car may be strong, some automakers believe the definition of luxury is changing, and that spells opportunity.

“Luxury is no longer about being the most expensive, the most popular, the most opulent,” said John Mendel, Acura executive vice president of sales, during the introduction of the brand’s new TSX Sport Wagon. “It’s about smart choices. We’re starting to see a whole new attitude as luxury-car buyers are looking to make more intelligent, more relevant purchase decisions.

“At Acura, we’ve been studiously avoiding excess, refusing to build behemoth vehicles that exceed all practical needs. Because of our intelligent approach, we’re now really in the sweet spot of this evolving market.”

Audi, for one, has weathered the economic storm exceptionally well; the brand recently recorded its best first-quarter sales ever in the U.S. New models like the A5 coupe and Q5 crossover have helped, and it’s also been buoyed by new technology like its TDI diesels.

“We have done quite well in these difficult times,” said Loren Angelo, manager of marketing and advertising for Audi. “We’re continuously demonstrating how Audi is a brand that is readdressing and redefining what the new luxury marketplace is for consumers” through technology features and engineering.

There’s no question other brands have had some trying months. Sales for ultra-luxury purveyor Bentley, which showed its new $280,400 Continental Supersports convertible at the New York auto show, were down 39 percent worldwide last year.

“At the end of the day the biggest problem in this market category is confidence — and lack of confidence — and confidence has to come back,” said Christophe Georges, Bentley Americas president and COO.

To know when it does, you’ll only have to look to the car market.

“As Americans, I think that we tend to want to celebrate we’ve recovered from this. We’ve recovered from the worst recession,” Lindland said. “We’re getting back on our feet again, and cars have always been a way to express emotionally that success that we’re feeling.”

Editors Joe Wiesenfelder, David Thomas, Kelsey Mays and Mike Hanley discuss their favorites from the 2010 New York auto show as well as what fell flat. The one model to generate the most debate may be surprising.

You can download the podcast via iTunes here or you can listen in the browser by pressing the play button below.

Cars.com Podcast #48

You start the Volt as you would many of today's gasoline-powered cars, by stepping on the brake and pressing a button. The console-mounted gear selector is just as conventional, though it's a large, whole-hand, paddle-type affair. Once in Drive, the Volt takes off confidently, but I have to admit I expected more. Electric motors are known for having prodigious amounts of torque starting at 0 rpm, but the Volt's acceleration was rather modest, at least with four adults onboard.

Electric cars are also known for being quiet, but unfortunately it was raining, making for a good deal of wet-tire noise, which tends to intrude in any car. Moving along in electric mode, no sound was loud enough to overcome the wet pavement except maybe the ventilation fan, which an engineer said we couldn't turn down or off due to control software that was “immature .” (Damn kids.)

As I traded off driving and riding along with three other people, a gauge showed the battery range was down to one mile. Sure enough, in short order the gas engine fired up. Again, with the background noise, I didn't hear it kick in initially, and I didn't feel any vibration — a good sign, considering that Chevy has been obsessing over issues of noise and vibration during the critical transition from battery to range-extended mode and back.

Once it started, though, I could hear the engine rpm rise and fall with acceleration, which sounded perfectly natural, but surprising. I suppose I expected it to turn on and run at a constant, efficient speed, but an engineer said it varies with demand from both the battery and the drive motor. Ironically, this range-extended electric sounded less obtrusive than do many gas cars equipped with continuously variable automatic transmissions, which tend to make the engine rev out of sync with the gas pedal.

The rain and watchful eyes also frustrated attempts to get a feel for the car's dynamics, but I can say it feels pretty much like any other car. The Volt is a relatively light car with a heavy battery pack situated low in the middle, which could make for a good center of gravity, but we'll need better conditions and higher speeds to know for sure. Even at these speeds, the Volt feels substantial, in a good way.

The LCD displays — which make up the instrument panel in front of the steering wheel as well as the conventional center-mounted multifunction display — are well executed and easy to understand, with graphics that are closer to video-game quality than to the usual navigation-screen menus. The touch-sensitive center controls are functional, but I prefer actual buttons. (Chevy isn't the only company experimenting with this approach, and I suspect this is a battle I'm going to lose.) I could also live without the panel's white color. The Volt will offer a darker option.

My turn in the backseat was perfectly comfortable, as there's plenty of room for adults. The center console, under which the T-shaped battery pack resides, runs from the front seats to the back, separating the two rear seats. Maybe it will help keep the kids from tormenting each other. Nah, probably not.

The car I drove was one of 80 hand-built units around the country, but the very day after my drive, March 31, the first preproduction Volt rolled off the line at Chevrolet's Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. That means the run of saleable cars is only a few months away. We look forward to more time in the Volt then.

2011 Hyundai Equus
2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2011 Kia Optima
2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
2011 Kia Sportage
2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon
2011 Scion xB