Mercedes-Benz SLC on life support

The future of Mercedes’ 'affordable' convertible sports car, the SLC, was thrown into doubt in late 2018 when the car-maker’s global boss, Dieter Zetsche, said its continuation was by no means a slam-dunk.

Simply put, sports cars are not profitable and do not sell in the sorts of numbers as, say, hatchbacks like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class or sedans like the C-Class.

Nevertheless, Ola Kallenius, Mercedes-Benz R&D boss, said the SLC was not dead in the water – not yet.

"It's like a good wine, it ages very well," grinned the Swedish executive during questioning about the small roadster's future. He was attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where he launched new CLA sedan which is pitched at younger tech-savvy buyers.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Mercedes-Benz SLC is one of the oldest vehicles in the Mercedes-Benz range, and was first badged the SLK when it launched in 1996.

There are three models available in Australia today, the SLC 200 ($86,100), SLC 300 ($102,500) and SLC AMG 43 ($137,300).

The 49-year-old Benz exec, who is tipped to take over the top job at Mercedes-Benz from Dieter Zetsche in the next few years, implied the rear-drive SLC roadster could be built on the same platform as the new A-Class and CLA-Class, dubbed MFA 2.

This would potentially make the roadster a lot more affordable.

"We don’t have a compact convertible based on the MFA 2 platform in the workings at this point in time. Theoretically it's possible but no decision has been made," stated Kalennius.

If this happened, the Mercedes-Benz SLC would be flipped to all-wheel or even front-wheel drive, given that MFA 2 doesn't support rear-drive.

Another option is to kill the SLC, which is Mercedes-Benz chief designer's preferred option.

Gorden Wagener who has spearheaded the brand's 'sensual purity' design language, evident in all its modern-day cars, said it was a big challenge to justify the existence of drop-top cars today.

He stated that a compact convertible based on the same platform as the A-Class was about as likely as a manned mission to Mars in 2019: "We will definitely not be doing a small convertible [based on the MFA 2 platform]," he insisted.

That said, Wagener confirmed the future of the large SL convertible is safe, which he says will be styled closely to the iconic 1950's 300SL.

Apart from killing it, or looking at cut-price roadster based on the A-Class platform, there's a third option for the SLC.

It understood that Mercedes-Benz is also considering a reborn (or even renamed) SLC convertible based on the next-generation SL-Class platform. It would probably grow in size somewhat but could remain rear-wheel drive without requiring a new and costly platform underneath it.

This scenario would leverage the bigger, more prestigious SL-Class – epitomised by the V8-powered SL 500 – and shorten the platform for the SLC.

One Mercedes source suggested that the next SL could be a four-seat convertible grand tourer while the SLC would be the two-seat version.

Kallenius played his cards close his chest and clearly wasn't ready to officially ring the death knell for the SLC just yet.

"Where we will take our whole convertible roadster segment into the future, we haven't been too explicit about that," stated Kallenius.