What seemed like nothing more than a promising luxury sports concept vehicle at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show will be launching as a fully fledged production car at the Geneva Motor Show this March.

The news should get Mercedes customers who desire something a little more exclusive and sporty as well comfortable excited, and should get BMW, Rolls-Royce and Bentley more than a little hot under the collar.

That’s because the car offers everything that’s wonderful about the S-Class sedan — its ride, reliability, cutting edge technological and driver aid features — in an altogether more striking, sporty package.

The S-Class Coupé promises to be an epic GT car capable of lapping up the miles in absolute comfort and as a result threatening the short haul airline industry. Why fly from Paris to Milan when you can take the S-Class Coupé instead?

Especially when, just like the Concept version, under the hood power and performance are derived from a 4.6-liter V8 biturbo engine, good for 455hp and immense levels of torque.

Keeping the car’s occupants completely cossetted no matter how tricky the driving gets is a new ‘curve tilting function’, a world-first in a production car.

It means that the S-Class Coupé actively leans into bends, which not only improve the driving line but also dramatically reduces lateral acceleration and the g-force felt by those traveling in the car.

This new feature is an addition to the Magic Body Control — essentially a suspension system with eyes — that debuted on the sedan version of the S-Class. It monitors the road ahead and automatically adjusts the ride and shock absorber settings to suit ahead of time.

Other features aimed at comfort and affability include a reworked, curving instrument panel and dashboard fascia that uses TFT screens rather than dials and buttons and the inclusion of a panoramic glass roof.

Mercedes will be taking the wraps off the S-Class Coupé March 6 at the Geneva Motor Show, where it is also expected to confirm prices and availability.