Introduced for the 2005 model year, the Mercedes-Benz CLS500 was a variant of the C219 CLS-Class. The CLS500 was originally equipped with Mercedes' M113 E50 engine, which was a 5.0L V8 that had an output of 306hp. From the 2007 model year, Mercedes began fitting the CLS500 with their new 382hp M273 E55 V8 engine. Upon introducing this larger engine, Mercedes changed the name of the CLS500 to CLS550 for the North American market, although the model was still sold as the CLS500 in Europe and other markets. Power from the engines was sent to the rear wheels through a 7 speed automatic transmission. Production of the C219 Mercedes-Benz CLS500 ended in 2010, when it was replaced by the new C218 Mercedes-Benz CLS550.