Mercedes prices SLS at $464K

MERCEDES-BENZ will charge $464,000 for its all-new SLS AMG supercar in Australia, making the German luxury brand’s born-again gullwing coupe cheaper than other top-end AMG models including the S65 sedan ($482,900), SL65 convertible ($502,000) and CL65 coupe ($510,500).

At $36,000 less than the indicative $500,000 pricetag previously advised by Mercedes-Benz, the SLS should also easily undercut many of its most direct rivals, such as Ferrari’s new 458 Italia, which is expected to cost around $600,000 here.

Mercedes says it currently holds 43 orders for its belated replacement for the SLR McLaren, making the first SLS consignment for Australia a sell-out before first deliveries arrive here in August.

The Australian subsidiary is currently negotiating with head office to increase its allocation from 50 to 70 vehicles from Mercedes’ largest assembly plant, Sindelfingen, where the SLS entered production following its global public debut at the Frankfurt motor show last September.

“The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has been extremely well received by our customers in Australia with more than forty orders already locked in,” said the managing director of Mercedes-Benz Cars in Australia, Horst von Sanden.

“Even in advance of the actual market launch, orders have considerably exceeded our expectations. This shows that the exciting design and extraordinary concept of our gullwing model precisely meet the taste and aspirations of potential customers. Our allocation for 2010 could well be insufficient.”

Powered by a 420kW/650Nm dry-sump version of AMG’s exclusive 6.2-litre V8, the 1620kg SLS is the first model designed completely in-house by Mercedes-AMG and will spawn a convertible derivative in about 12 months and an all-electric version by 2015, while a ‘mini-SLS’ coupe is also expected to emerge from Mercedes.

Eschewing the seven-speed automatic transmission employed by most other Mercedes and all other AMG models for a seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual transaxle, the SLS has a 47/53 per cent front/rear weight distribution and is claimed to accelerate to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 317km/h, while returning average fuel economy of 13.2L/100km.

That makes the SLS slower and less economical than Porsche’s latest 911 Turbo, which remains about $100,000 more affordable.

In other Mercedes-AMG news announced today, the company says Australia has moved into fourth place globally in terms of global AMG sales following the sale of 1006 examples of the C63 sedan (and 32 C63 Estates) since 2008.

“In 2009 despite stock shortages we grew our AMG volume by eight percent,” said Mr von Sanden. “So far in 2010 we have posted a 22 per cent increase in sales, with the all-new E63 AMG already having sold more than 100 units and the C63 AMG is on track for more 600 units.

“We have convincingly established the C63 as the ultimate prestige sports sedan in Australia by outselling our nearest rival by 66 per cent in 2009 and 131 per cent in 2010. I sometimes think that AMG stands for ‘Australian Market Growth.”