SLS variants to boost AMG volume

It may be the brand's halo model, but the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will play an even more important role in the company's future -- production volume.

Unveiled to the world's press at the Frankfurt show in September and driven by media undisguised for the first time at Laguna Seca Raceway last week, the two-door two-seat coupe will account for much of the brand's volume and sales growth in the next few years.

Though the company is playing its volume estimates close to its chest, AMG board member and Director of Operations Kai Marten told the Carsales Network the SLS would "significantly boost" the Affalterbach-based performance brand's annual volumes.

Marten confirmed the open secret that the company is working on an open version of the SLS which it's suggested will debut at March's Geneva motor show and hinted at the go-ahead for a Black Series version.

With a low-volume E-Drive all-electric version of the Gullwing also earmarked for release in 2010, some estimates play total SLS production at around 3000-4000 units per annum.

Unlike Lexus' 500-unit LF-A halo car, neither Mercedes-Benz nor AMG have made any suggestions that the SLS's production life will be limited -- in time or numbers.

AMG's annual production level has been growing steadily for the last decade. Though trimmed by the global financial downturn, last year the in-house performance offshoot of Mercedes built around 20,000 cars. The arrival of the SLS could therefore represent up to a 20-25 per cent jump in production volumes.

"It's very important to us we have a key strategy and we designed in 2005-2006 the steps of this strategy -- to bring a total, new [unique to AMG] model is the last step of this strategy," Marten told the Carsales Network.

"Of course, we only achieve this goal when the economic basis [for the SLS family] is fine. We have of course targets to reach, and we have a calculation and besides [producing] a beautiful car we will achieve an economic success with this car.

"It is an important step [in volume] for us, of course. We will increase the number of AMG models [we build] with the SLS, but it will not double our numbers," Marten confirmed.

"The concept of the car is able to fulfill a number of requirements. What we have decided is the open version and we are working on this at the moment. Whether we bring other 'opportunities', we have to decide the outcome next year. It is important [now] to 'fix' [finalise] the development [of SLS coupe] and start the production at the beginning of next year," he stated.

Marten says it is unlikely that key aspects of the SLS's packaging -- dual clutch transmission, torque tube structure, rear mounted transaxle -- will make their way into lesser AMG models any time soon -- even the next generation SL.

"At the moment it's too far away [in concept from the standard Mercedes donor cars]. Our normal concept is to look at what is going on with Mercedes, then we have a very early discussion, tell them our requirements – what's necessary for us to make an AMG version… But the transaxle concept is [only] for a super sports car.

"The SL is a totally different car. We have different goals with these cars [SL and SLS].

"From our point of view it's not necessary to do this [leverage the SLS platform into SL]. When we looked at the economic success of [the SLS] project, it had to make sense on its own. If you expect more numbers, different models it may not happen and then you have a problem."

Though still at the serious end of the performance scale, the upcoming SLS convertible variant is expected to be softened a touch. Reading between the lines, we expect the car to feature adjustable suspension to 'tame' the ride for less performance oriented buyers in key convertible markets like the USA.

A higher level of standard equipment is also likely -- in part to justify what's expected to be a 25-30,000 Euro price increase for the soft-top. And it will be a soft-top, there's no room for a folding hardtop.

It is still undecided whether the E-Drive version of the SLS will be sold outright or leased.

Mercedes-Benz has so far participated in electric car trials only via its Smart brand -- in that case only limited-term leasehold 'ownerships' were offered. Though there's now a LiOn battery equipped S 400h HYBRID model on sale in Europe and the USA, the latest Mercedes-Benz hybrid model, the ML 450h SUV, is also only offered via lease.

Serendipitously, SLS Chief Engineer Dr Frank Emhardt was a senior member of the team that built Benz's first electric Smarts. He says that though there's no direct transfer of technology from Smart to E-Drive SLS (nor any from the now part-Daimler owned Tesla corporation), experience gained at the city car brand has helped streamline development of AMG's electric supercar.

Though boss Marten says the electric version of the SLS was not envisaged when the car was original packaged, both Marten and Emhardt admit the suitability of front-mid-engine and rear transaxle layout of the SLS to an electric powertrain was noticed early in the piece. Emhardt says the wide central torque tube tunnel of the SLS is great for battery packaging, placing the significant mass and weight of the cells low and centrally.

The car will use four individual motors but they won't be wheel motors per se, says Emhardt. We expect the motors to be mounted inboard on the chassis with drive transferred to the wheel via short individual driveshafts.

Accelerative performance will not fall far short of the just-released 420kW petrol V8 says Emhardt, though top speed will be down.

Though it won't match the 'standard' car's 317km/h, the E-Drive should be the world's fastest sparky. Its top speed of "at least 250km/h" easily betters Audi's R8-based E-tron concept car.

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