You already heard of the rumors that Mercedes-Benz is planning on building a smaller version of the SLS. That supposed spin-off would have been called the SLV, sharing the front-engine layout of the Gullwing. But the company decided to forgo that project for something a lot more, shall we say, promising. Mercedes-Benz is still going to work on an SLS derivative, but this time round they’re going to call it the SLM. The M stands for mid-engine. Oh, so NOW you’re listening.
Who would have thought Mercedes-Benz would decide to veer away from the SLS platform and boldly go where so many others have (not?) gone before. Well, at least for this company, a mid-engine super car sounds a little farfetched. Well, only time will be able to tell if it’s going to be a reality. Right now, all we have is a source from AMG saying that creating another front-engine super car would endanger the cash flow being pulled in by the SLS.
So what’s the deal behind the SLM? Lightness and efficiency, apparently. Something to jive with the current trends in the industry. Although the mid-engine layout still puzzles a lot of people, us admittedly. Our source says that it’s the best way not to hurt SLS sales and to be able to rival the Audi R8 and the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Coupe. Sounds promising, don’t you think?
Article from www.benzinsider.com
