Mercedes-Benz SLC Final Edition

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed the SLC will cease production later with the unveiling of a new Final Edition version of the compact roadster.

Set to make its public debut at the upcoming 2019 Geneva motor show, the last ever SLC will be launched nearly 23 years after the two-seat roadster first made its public premiere badged as the SLK, ushering in a new folding hardtop roof structure that was subsequently copied by many rival car makers.

The celebratory SLC Final Edition is to be produced at Mercedes-Benz Bremen factory in Germany with three different petrol engines. They include a 1.6-litre four-cylinder with 154bhp in the SLC180, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with 181bhp and 242bhp in the SLC200 and SLC300 and a 3.0-litre V6 that delivers 383bhp in the SLC43 from Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance car division.

Both the SLC180 and SLC200 Final Edition come with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, while the SLC300 and SLC43 receive a standard nine-speed automatic.

Without plans for a successor model, Mercedes-Benz is marking the end of production for the SLC with a special optional yellow exterior paint scheme. It is one of the colours the German car maker used to launch the original SLK back in 1996 and is offered alongside standard black and grey paint schemes.

The new SLC model is based on the existing AMG Line model, with uniquely styled bumpers, 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels and a highly equipped interior featuring, among other previous options, the Airscarf seat back mounted neck heater as standard.

In top-of-the-line SLC43 AMG Final Edition guise, the rear-wheel drive roadster is claimed to accelerate from 0-to-62mph in 4.7sec and reach a top speed limited to 155mph. Combined fuel consumption is put at 34.9mpg, equating to a CO2 emission figure of 185g/km.  

The SLC was produced in three model generations over its 23-year life span. The original R170 designated model was launched at the Paris motor show in 1996. It was succeeded by a second-generation model, the R171, at the Geneva motor show in 2004.

The final third-generation model, the R172, first went on sale in 2011. Up until then, the C-class based roadster was known as the SLK. It was renamed as the SLC during a facelift in 2016.

Up to the introduction of the new SLC Final Edition next month, combined global sales of the SLK and SLC total over 710,000, according to Mercedes-Benz.

The decision to discontinue the SLC comes after ever decreasing sales and dwindling profits in the premium roadster segment.