Mercedes has added yet another award to its prestigious repertoire, this time taking home the New Strait Times (NST) MasterCard Car of the Year Award for the always-impressive CLS 350.

The award was given by a panel of five senior automotive journalists, who based their decision on criteria such as exterior and interior design, passenger comfort and driver ergonomics and performance, driving characteristics, safety, perceived quality and value for money.

In addition to the CLS, sixty-five other vehicles were also up for nomination, all with a basic criteria that each car must be a brand new model or a significantly revised upgrade of an existing model. Last year’s winners are automatically added as entries as defending champions as well.

You're probably thinking, "That's great, but why isn't the CLS 350 available in America?"

You may soon be in luck - Autospies is reporting today the CLS 350 may be hitting U.S. shores in 2007.

But then again, why would you want a CLS 350 when you can opt for a CLS 55 AMG? Regardless of what your wife tells you, bigger equals better.

For more info on the CLS 350 taking home the NST MasterCard Car of the Year award, you can check out the full story by clicking here.