The compact hardtop roadster fad has well and truly passed, it would seem, as a report emerged claiming that sources within Mercedes-Benz stated that the SLC (previously known as the SLK) is approaching its final days.
These findings were part of a broader piece by Automobile magazine that shed some light onto Mercedes-Benz’s short-to-medium term plans, which do not include their smallest two-door, concentrating on the next SL and AMG GT, which are expected to share platforms.
The car was renamed to its current SLC moniker when Benz rolled out a facelifted version of the the third-generation car December 2015, conveniently coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the original R170 SLK’s unveil, and will likely remain as is before eventually being axed from the line-up entirely as dwindling sales and the high cost of engineering a replacement having sealed its fate.
In its heyday, the SLK was competing against the Porsche Boxster and BMW Z4 of their time, with each having their own approach to a fast roadster. While both of those are still on solid ground as more focused sports cars, the SLC’s relevance has plateaued.
That’s not to say the Boxster and Z4 aren't effected, they both have had to evolve: the Porsche experiencing a downsizing and the Z4’s successor being developed alongside the next Toyota Supra and likely to use a hybrid powertrain to achieve its performance goals.
It looks like customers who would have otherwise considered an SLC will be offered an alternative in the form of the larger 2+2 C-Class Cabriolet once the smaller roadster faces extinction. But as the next SL and AMG GT, both reported to be more performance-focused, are only due to arrive in 2020, SLC fans still have time to snatch one up.
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