Mercedes SLR sale hope

TOP Mercedes-Benz officials have given substantial weight to the likelihood of the company's imminent million-dollar supercar, the SLR, being produced in right-hand drive.

If approved, the decision will increase Australians' chances of seeing the twin-turbo V8 coupe on local roads next year, with up to 20 examples expected to be snapped up by well healed three-pointed star enthusiasts.

"I have good news," Mercedes-Benz Australia managing director passenger cars Matthias Luhrs told automotive e-news at last week's international launch of the new CLK.

"I have heard that Mercedes-Benz is looking at right-hand drive production of the SLR for the first time.

"So far it was always a big no, but now they are looking at it. It's not decided yet but the latest I have heard and read from our own press department is that we're looking at it." Mr Luhrs said a decision on right-hand drive SLR production was likely to be made within the next three months, and that the driving force behind the right-hooker rethink of SLR was the large and vocal British sports car fraternity.

"I can't really say whether I'm confident it will happen or not, but I'm confident enough to talk about it because our own PR department is talking about it. I think the UK is the driver behind it," Mr Luhrs said.

"It's not that we announce this tactically, it's really because something is happening behind the scenes." He said the ultra-high performance image of the SLR, as well as that of the forthcoming Maybach super-limo, were valuable branding tools for the three-pointed star.

With just a handful of either vehicle expected to be sold in Australia, it is the image-building ability of SLR that excites Mr Luhrs, rather than any commercial advantages.

"SLR, or Maybach for that matter, is not important volume-wise but brand-wise I think it's quite important because it rounds up our overall image perspective," he said.

"We are getting sportier every day with cars like the CLK, but SLR will help again to go another step further. It's basically a race car for the street." Asked how many SLRs he expected would be sold Down Under, Mr Luhrs said: "Let me put this into perspective. Even in left-hand drive we have three confirmed orders from people who like to collect cars, put them in a museum, drive them from Darwin to Alice Springs, etc. So I think if the car would be available in right-hand drive we could sell 20 cars." The cost of right-hand drive SLR production, believed to be as high as $30 million, is currently the sticking point.

But reports that a number of potential customers backed away from the 330km/h Benz supercar following the original announcement no right-hand drive examples would be built has forced Mercedes-Benz to reconsider.

Initially, Mercedes-Benz said just 3500 SLRs would be built by famous UK car-maker McLaren at an exclusive new purpose-built factory called the Paragon, in Woking, with first deliveries due to begin in March, 2003.

If given the go-ahead, right-hand drive production would start later in the year.

Powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V8 said to produce in excess of 400kW, SLR is designed to be the fastest (current) production car in the world and a showcase of high-performance hardware.

It will face stiff competition from both Porsche's 5.5-litre V10-powered GT Carrera and the 6.0-litre V12 Ferrari F60 - both also due to appear in 2003 - along with Volkswagen-built supercars like the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley GT Coupe.

Asked whether SLR's new bent eight would appear in detuned form in the next generation S-class, Mr Luhrs said: "It could but I'm not confident enough to talk about that yet, to be honest".

* In other Mercedes-Benz news, Mr Luhrs ruled out a forthcoming four-wheel drive version of the CLK coupe for sale in Australia, but confirmed the rumoured off-road oriented, four-wheel drive version of the next A-class would be a sensible proposition Down Under.

"That's an interesting observation," said Mr Luhrs when asked if he was encouraged by the Renault Scenic RX4 soft-roader's recent sales success.

"Our four-wheel drive A-class will be in a similar market and so it's good for us to watch what they're doing. Yes, it's very encouraging." On four-wheel drive for CLK, Mr Luhrs said: "There will be a four-wheel drive CLK, but not at the beginning - during the life cycle probably. It will likely be a more sports-oriented version of 4Matic, but we don't follow that much because we won't pick it up in Australia.

"I can't see the 4Matic-type four-wheel drive sedan market increasing in Australia. In Europe some 30 per cent of all our cars are 4Matic, but I think it's a European thing. You don't see that in the US either." WHAT'S COMING FROM BENZ
o New CLK320/500 - June, 2002
o New SL convertible - July, 2002
o New E-class sedan - September, 2002
o New CLK240 - November, 2002
o New CLK55 AMG - December, 2002
o Facelifted S-class - December, 2002
o Maybach limo - 2003
o SLR supercar - 2003
o New CLK convertible - 2003
o New A-class hatch - 2004
o New SLK roadster - 2004
o Smart four-door - 2004
o Smart two-door - 2004
o A-class off-roader - 2005
o GST off-roader - 2005