The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class has a long history of being the company’s high-performance two-seater flagship. By that, we do mean long – the iconic 300 SL Gullwing dates back to 1954, and while the SL-Class will soldier on with a new model slated for 2021, it seems we’ve seen the last of the AMG versions. Maybe.
Carbuzz reports that the AMG SL63 is officially dead for the 2020 model year, having been pulled from the company’s website without any fanfare to honor its passing. We’ve checked the Mercedes-AMG digital pages ourselves and indeed, the only SL-badged offering showing for 2020 is the SLC 43. It seems – as speculated – that the AMG GT line will assume the ultra-high-performance role held by AMG-tuned SL models since the mid-1990s. We’ve contacted Mercedes and asked for official confirmation of this information; we’ve yet to receive a reply but we’ll drop an update to this story as soon as we hear back.
Long Live the SL63
As previously mentioned, the disappearance of the SL63 doesn’t mean the SL lineup is disappearing. We already know a new SL-Class is in development, as we’ve seen some crazy short-wheelbase test mules wearing E-Class bodywork. We’ve also heard from Mercedes officials that the next SL will up its performance game while also drawing more inspiration from the original 300 SL. In fact, AMG boss Tobias Moers said the next-generation SL will actually be developed alongside the next AMG GT model, so while an actual Mercedes-AMG SL63 may not return, AMG DNA should still be present.
Future For The SL:
When will the next SL-Class arrive? We haven’t heard a specific timeframe as-of-yet, save for something happening in 2021. We've also heard that, aside from stepping up in the performance realm, the next SL could also gain a 2+2 format for a bit more practicality.
Source: Carbuzz