Mercedes-AMG will only sell the hottest SL in Australia

Mercedes-Benz Australia has confirmed the new SL roadster will be offered here exclusively in flagship AMG 63 guise.

The Mercedes-AMG SL 63 is finally launching here in July.

The company has ruled out the less powerful SL 43 and SL 55, despite having previously confirmed the former early last year for a late-2022 launch.

“[The SL 43] is one we did consider, but based on our history with AMG, we know a lot of our AMG customers want the highest-spec car,” said a Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson.

“SL’s not exactly a volume car, and for the amount that will be available to us, we think that the 63 will be the one that most people want.”

The latest SL, the first to be developed exclusively as a Mercedes-AMG model, was revealed all the way back in October 2021. At the time, Mercedes-Benz said it would launch here in the second half of 2022.

The SL 55 and SL 63 both use a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, producing 350kW of power and 700Nm in the former and 430kW and 800Nm in the latter.

They feature a nine-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

The SL 43 was revealed last year as the first four-cylinder SL in almost 60 years. It uses a 2.0-litre turbo four with 280kW and 480Nm, mated with a 48V mild-hybrid system, rear-wheel drive, and the nine-speed dual-clutch auto.

The global SL range isn’t complete yet, with Mercedes-Benz having teased a Maybach-badged version last year.

Spy photos also show Mercedes-AMG is working on plug-in hybrid versions of the SL. It’s unclear whether these will make the trip Down Under.

Mercedes-AMG has a couple of plug-in hybrid powertrains it could use in the SL: the C63 S E Performance’s 2.0-litre turbo four with total system outputs of 500kW and 1020Nm, and the GT 63 S E Performance’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with 620kW and 1400Nm in total.

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