Mercedes-Benz W211

The Mercedes-Benz W211 is an executive car which was produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz from 2002 to 2009, under the E-Class model names. The W211 models replaced the W210 E-Class models and were superseded by the Mercedes-Benz W212 in 2009. The car was available in two body types: Sedan and Estate (Estate models were sold in Canada as Wagon).

The W219, sold as the CLS-Class "4-door coupe", was introduced as a niche model in 2005, and is based on the W211's mechanical package.

Launched in 2002, the W211 E-Class was another evolution of the previous model and was considered by the motoring media as a more competitive offering to the long-term rival BMW 5-Series (which previously was the preferred choice of the motoring media). Before North American sales began, the car was shown in the 2002 movie Men in Black II. The W211 development program commenced in 1997, with design work starting later on. The final designs were chosen in 1999 and German patents were later filed on December 18, 2000 utilizing an E500 prototype. Development ended in 2001 after 48 months of development at a total cost €2 billion euros. Pilot production went into testing in the summer of 2001, the W211 E-Class debut at the Brussels Motor in January 2002.