The still booming segment of the SUV has Mercedes enriched by no less than four models last year. The GLE Coupé, the revised GLE, the GLC as the successor to the GLK and finally the facelifted GL, which is now called GLS in the course of the new nomenclature. It's no wonder that CEO Dieter Zetsche officially declared 2015 the Mercedes brand for the Year of the SUV. The Stuttgart SUV family now comprises six series with a total of 37 variants and engines. "No other manufacturer has such a wide range in the program," says Wolf-Dieter Kurz, head of product group SUV and sports cars. One reason why Mercedes can record another record year. 2015 sales increased worldwide by more than 13 percent to more than 1,8 million vehicles.
However, the SUV parade is slowly coming to an end. There is only one model on the agenda for this year: the GLC Coupé, whose study 2015 was presented in Shanghai. The "oblique Schwabe" is positioned mainly against the BMW X4 and celebrates its premiere as a production version at the Auto Show in New York at the end of March.
"For us, 2016 is all about dream cars," says Ola Källenius, Sales Director, and by that he means the new E-Class W 213, but above all the future portfolio of convertibles. The following also applies here: There is no other car manufacturer anywhere in the world that can place a larger range of open models in the sales rooms. "While many others are reducing their range of convertibles, we are expanding ours," promises Mercedes design manager Gordon Wagener.
The model balancing act ranges from the small Smart Fortwo to the S-Class, which is back as an open version after a break in 44 years, is internally called A 217 and is based on the coupe. They want, so it is said from Stuttgart, so that not only customers who have a look around at Rolls-Royce and Bentley are offered an alternative, the Softtop S-Class should rather become the world's best-selling luxury convertible. In principle, Mercedes does not make forecasts. But even with a share of five percent in the series, it would be annually on 5.000 units, of which the majority will be traveling in California. For comparison: Bentley sells around 2.000 Continental GT Cabriolets every year. The top version of the open S-Class provides the tuning subsidiary AMG as S 65 (630 PS and 1.000 Nm torque). The power convertible was recently unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show and will go on sale in the middle of the year. Price: almost a quarter of a million euros.
For normal mortals, the four-seater convertible of the C-Class (internally A 40.000) will arrive from late summer and from around 205 euros. The premiere will be in Geneva in March. Mercedes gives a closed loop noise on the level of the coupe. The air suspension, so far unique in this segment, is supposed to guarantee comfort well above the class average.
The renovated two-seater SL and SLC (formerly SLK) were launched in the spring. With their optical refresh, better equipment and more economical engines, Mercedes wants to try to help the currently idle roadster segment. In November, the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, whose technology largely corresponds to that of the coupé, is considered to be more of a “radiation effect on the brand” at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The convertible range will complete the open E-Class next year. In the rear, the model internally called A 238 is said to offer even more space than the S-Class. It is quite possible that the new modular three-liter six-cylinder in-line engines (diesel OM 656, Otto M 256) are already being used in the E-Class Cabriolet. Also conceivable: An E 63 Cabriolet, powered by a four-liter V8 biturbo developed under AMG management with around 600 PS. This internally designated M 176 direct injection engine will also power the S-Class and the S-Class Coupé in the future. It is the first time that the mother takes an engine from the daughter.
All that remains is the A-Class, which the product strategists will also get one on the roof. After all, the competition from Bavaria has long since had corresponding models (Audi A3, BMW 2 Series) on the market. Mercedes has already indicated that the next generation of the MFA series (from 2018) will produce more derivatives than currently. This will almost certainly include an open-air version.
Author: Michael Specht / SP-X