Affalterbach, Germany — Mercedes AMG is gearing up to release a new, eighth-generation roadster, and when they say new, the luxury automaker means it.
The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL-Class doesn’t share a single architectural component with its predecessor, or with the GT Roadster, which the SL will replace.
“The development team in our body shell design area was faced with an extremely appealing, but also challenging task: when we were commissioned to undertake the overall development of the new SL, we started from scratch, so to speak, without building on any existing structure”, said Jochen Hermann, Chief Technical Officer at Mercedes-AMG.
The new luxury roadster will feature a composite aluminum chassis allowing for a lightweight frame.
By using aluminum, steel, magnesium and glass/carbon fibres, the development team was able to ensure the highest possible rigidity in conjunction with low weight, said Mercedes-AMG. The body shell (without the doors, bonnet or boot lid) will weigh 270kg.
Because of its new frame, the new SL is expected to be more performance-focused than previous models.
An official unveiling date is set for late 2021 with models arriving in showrooms by spring 2022. Production of the new SL will take place at Mercedes’ Bremen, Germany factory.
