2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class not shown at the Detroit auto show:

Get used to seeing, hearing and reading about the redesigned 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but don’t look for it at the Detroit Auto Show . Even though Mercedes chose to “reveal” the car in Detroit (and to publicly release photographs of the car and information about it), the viewing was limited to invited guests from the global automotive media community. The car will not be on display at the Detroit show.

The general public will get its first look at the car at the Geneva motor show in March, presumably followed by a U.S. show debut at New York in April. The 2010 E-Class goes on sale in the United States this summer.

U.S. models come equipped with two carryover engines, the E350 with a 268-hp, 258-lb-ft V6, and the E550 with a 382-hp, 391-lb-ft V8. Mercedes says all-wheel-drive 4MATIC models and the high-performance E63 AMG won’t be available at launch, but should be on sale later in the year, followed by the 50-state-legal E350 BlueTEC diesel in early 2010. New direct-injection gasoline engines available in Europe won’t be offered in the United States, mostly due to incompatibility with high-sulphur-content unleaded gasoline here, but Mercedes hopes to offer the engines in the future.

Styling is noticeably different, drawing on the design previewed in the Concept Fascination show car revealed at the Paris motor show last fall. The design features twin rectangular headlamps, and a rear wheel arch treatment that Mercedes says echoes a styling cue from the famous “Ponton Mercedes” introduced in 1953.

A column-mounted shifter, COMAND controller and ambient lighting highlight interior upgrades and changes.

New technological features include a drowsy-driver monitoring system, dubbed Attention Assist, and Lane Keeping Assist and Adaptive Highbeam Assist. The car also borrows features from the current S- and CL-class models including Blind Spot Assist and Night View Assist Plus, which recognizes and highlights pedestrians on the central display.