Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Daimler Welcomes 500,000th Mercedes SLK


The Mercedes SLK was first introduced to the market in 1996 and with the delivery of the 500,000th model, Daimler can celebrate yet another successful vehicle in their super sized portfolio.

With the creation of the SLK, Mercedes-Benz carved out a new niche in the market for the premium compact roadsters segment with innovative features such as the vario-roof and the neck-level heating system AIRSCARF. This first generation went on to sell 310,00 units until it was replaced by an all new model in 2004.

The second generation which has sold 190,000 units so far was just treated to a mid-life facelift featuring a re-designed front and rear with some slight interior modifications resulting in a much sportier appearance. The engine range for the SLK also received some mid-life tuning from the Mercedes engineers, the manual transmission SLK now consumes 1.1liters/100km less than its predecessor whilst power has gained 33 hp bringing the grand total up to 305hp.

Source: Daimler