Benz refutes 'early' SL debut rumours

Mercedes-Benz has signalled in advance that it will reveal the all-new SL sports car, in production guise and uncamouflaged, before the end of this year.

That's not to be taken as a sign the three-pointed star is rushing the new car into the market because the current model's sales are dismal however.

"As far as we're aware, the debut has not been brought forward," Jerry Stamoulis, Mercedes-Benz Australia's Corporate Communications Manager, told motoring.com.au earlier today. "In our planning and discussions with Germany we're still scheduled to release the car in quarter three — and internationally it's in March... that's the normal lifecycle for SL."

Originally, speculation was rife that the new generation car — codenamed R231, the successor to the current R230 model — would premiere in Paris late in the third quarter of next year. More recently, it has been suggested the new SL would be the subject of a sneak peak in Geneva (March), ahead of a formal launch mid-year. But according to Stamoulis, a Paris debut was never on the agenda — and Geneva has been the planned venue for the car's global launch all along.

Stamoulis explained too that the new car's local launch would take place during the third quarter of next year, implying its first public unveiling here will be at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. In response to the question of timing — revealing the car in its production state months ahead of its global motor show debut — Stamoulis pointed to earlier occasions when Benz has pre-empted a car's unveiling in a public forum with official pictures and detailed specification info.

"If you look at some of our previous launches, that's been happening a lot recently," he responded. "For example, in Geneva last year, we showed the [updated] C 63 for the first time — and then it had its global unveiling and launch in New York, followed by the actual drive in May. It's not uncommon for us to show a vehicle before its actual launch..."

Once Benz officially announced the SL's Geneva debut, the Internet was abuzz with speculation that the new model was being hurried along to replace the R230 model, which was facelifted in June 2008 without recapturing the earlier sales success of the car prior to its upgrade. The SL's sales in Australia have been in steady decline over a long period. In 2004, VFACTS recorded full-year sales of 280 units, which dropped to 189 the following year. The introduction of the facelifted model in 2008 merely served to hold sales steady (104 units for 2007 and 2008). For the year so far in 2011, Mercedes-Benz has sold just 20 units of the SL. But that's not unusual for a niche-market model such as the SL, says Stamoulis.

"I think it's quite normal for a car, like SL, SLS or even the CL," he said. "They're not the type of vehicle that will consistently hold a sales figure over their life cycles. You tend to see a spike, come launch — and then they start to drop."

Stamoulis isn't of the view that the SL's sales have been affected by the SLS AMG, although he concedes that the imminent SLS Roadster may have drawn away a small number of SL buyers who can afford a car more expensive still.

"I wouldn't blatantly say that an SL 63 buyer would flip straight to an SLS. Maybe with Roadster, that might be a different story, but we'll have to wait and see... because SL ticks a number of boxes that an SLS might not. One is 'convertible' — and I guess the SL is a little more refined, when it comes to engine noise and ride... when you compare the two back to back. So it's not a carbon-copy customer."

Nor does he see Porsche's new 911 Cabriolet as a particular threat to the new SL.

"Though they're in the same [VFACTS] segment, SL and 911, historically, have been slightly different customers. We'll have to wait and see. 911 has grown a little bit, SL we're still waiting to see exactly what it looks like and what it is. You just never know."

R231, like the new generation Porsche, has gone on a major diet, shedding up to 140kg of weight. It's something of the order of magnitude we had been led to expect from Benz, but in a package as relatively small as the SL it's a significant achievement. The body alone accounts for 110kg of the overall weight saving, thanks to its construction in aluminium, with the further benefit of magnesium for the rear panel. High-strength steel is specified for tubing within the vehicle's A pillars. It's the first time Mercedes-Benz has placed an aluminium body shell in volume-selling series production.

The body not only balances the needs of crash safety with fuel economy and vehicle dynamics, it is also optimised for concert hall-like acoustics in the cabin. FrontBass is the name applied by Benz to the car's new system, which relies on the open spaces of the aluminium body — ahead of the footwells — to allow greater resonance from the bass speakers of the audio system. According to Benz the system delivers high-fidelity bass reproduction even when the roof is lowered.

Another innovation to be introduced with the new SL is Magic Vision Control, which dispenses water via multiple channels directing the water to the wiper blade as it sweeps across the screen. From inside the car no jet or film of water can be seen, but the system keeps the screen clear nonetheless.

While Benz is yet to issue official pictures of the new SL undisguised, our spy photography partners at Carparazzi have come up with their own impression of the car's looks — and we've included this for comparison purposes.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...