The New Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

Press Release

The New Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

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• World premiere at the Geneva Motor Show
• Over 7,000 orders already taken for the new sports roadster

The second generation of the globally successful Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class is ready for launch, and Mercedes-Benz is set to present the new sports roadster to the public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show. The presentation follows the publication of the first photos of the new SLK at the start of the year, which themselves sparked an extremely enthusiastic response. A total of over 7,000 orders have been taken since sales release already. Prices for the SLK-Class range from 33,524 euros for the entry-level model to 63,974 euros (ex factory). Three different engine variants are available for the new car, developing from 120 kW/163 hp to 265 kW/360 hp. The range includes - for the first time in this vehicle class - an eight-cylinder power unit. The V6 engine in the SLK 350, meanwhile, develops 200 kW/272 hp and delivers impressively dynamic driving pleasure. The second generation of the Mercedes compact two-seater also boasts an exquisite overall design, several details of which take their cue from Formula 1 racing cars. The SLK thus remains true to its reputation as a trendsetter and technological leader in this category of sports cars. The further developed vario-roof, which transforms the roadster into a coupé in just 22 seconds, is joined on the list of standard equipment by head/thorax sidebags, adaptive front airbags and two-stage belt force limiters. The car's chassis, steering and manual transmission have been given an even sportier edge, whilst the interior features a world first, in the shape of the innovative AIRSCARF neck-level heating system. Over 308,000 delighted customers in every corner of the world, more than 40 inter-national awards and a position as the global leader in its market segment give the outgoing SLK-Class an extremely impressive CV. The Mercedes-Benz roadster has been setting standards in its class since its arrival in autumn 1996 - not just by virtue of its ground-breaking technological prowess but also thanks to a quite different attribute: its emotional appeal. The SLK has captured the hearts of the public like no other car and demonstrated that driving is also about passion and joie de vivre. In many cases it was love at first sight which prompted customers to make a spontaneous decision to purchase, a compulsion to experience and enjoy the driving pleasure on offer in the Mercedes sports car. By the end of the first full sales year, over 55,000 SLK models had rolled off the assembly line -- 50 percent more than originally planned. With a conquest sales rate of roughly 42 percent in the major European markets, the two-seater won over a wave of new customers for Mercedes-Benz, making it one of the protagonists in the Stuttgart auto maker's first strategic product initiative. Design aesthetics, technical excellence and exemplary levels of safety underpin the construction of the compact Mercedes roadster, which has long since taken on a cult image in the modern era. Strong demand for the SLK in the used-car market, where it is one of the lowest-depreciating models, provides ample evidence of this popularity.

More sporty and powerful than ever: The new SLK-Class

Eight years after the first SLK premiere in Turin, the second generation of the roadster is set to celebrate its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show 2004. As refreshing, enlivening and potent as an Italian espresso, the new Roadster displays its sporting prowess in much stronger terms than the outgoing model. Underpinning these enhanced performance credentials are the powerful new engines, a sporty suspension set-up, more direct steering and a precise six-speed-manual transmission. Inspired by Formula 1 racing cars, the exterior design of the roadster continues the dynamic theme and identifies the SLK-Class as a fully-fledged member of the Mercedes-Benz sports-car family. The interior, meanwhile, features switches, buttons and trim elements with silver-coloured surfaces, creating a striking contrast to the dark of the instrument panel. Plus, customers can choose from a range of six shades for the leather trim, or any one of twelve designo colours. The roadster also builds on the proven strengths of its predecessor - in the shape of a further developed, space-saving vario-roof, for example, even more innovative safety features and unique new systems such as bi-xenon headlamps with cornering light function, the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission and the neck-level heating system AIRSCARF (optional).