Mercedes-Benz have announced the Final Edition for the SLC (aka SLK), with the initial yellow that was revealed in 1997. I was sad to learn that the SLC will no longer be produced. Nowadays, everyone wants to own an SUV, like the MPV trend a decade ago. During the last decade, people have moved away from sports cars and even sedans to SUVs. As the SUV market has become more saturated, there is an SUV for any taste.
People like the practicality of an SUV and assume that an SUV can be sporty. The demand for the sports car started to decline. This happened slowly but, when we look at recent years, people don’t really buy sports cars anymore. Just SUVs!
This trend is the most evident in the premium market; we still see Ferraris, Aston Martins, and Bentleys. However, we don’t really see BMW Z4s or SLCs like the old days. As I have understood, Mercedes-Benz pushed as far as possible to keep the SLC on the production line, but it didn’t manage to survive.
SLC was a ground-breaking car when it was revealed in 1997! With a metal roof and a very attractive design, it was the most iconic car of its era. However, the metal roof is a serious additional weight and people generally want more space. Also, most importantly, buying an SLC is not cool or trendy anymore. People usually buy this type of car to show that they are trendy and cool. They are not buying it for its features! As being trendy moved from SLC to GLC, people started to avoid the SLC.
This shockwave has reached the SL as well. Hopefully, Mercedes-Benz will keep the SL in production, even though it will make a loss. Their strategy is to keep an iconic product in the production line. Like the S-Class, the SL is an important asset of Mercedes-Benz and makes it distinctive from other manufacturers. People might be buying other Mercedes-Benz products while being influenced by the SL.
Long story short, the SLC is going to end soon, but it will be remembered in the future. I am sure the same will happen to SUVs, as it happened to MPVs. Sooner or later, we will see a reduction in the SUV range.
Photo Credit // Mercedes-Benz