SLS AMG Black Series in works
Sep 20, 2011 | 09:04 AM
#1
Thread Starter
| Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,406
SLS AMG Black Series in works
Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series in Works, GT3 Version Not for U.S., E-Cell Unclear - WOT on Motor Trend
"Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series in Works, GT3 Version Not for U.S., E-Cell Unclear"
"Officials at Mercedes-Benz’s in-house tuner AMG have confirmed to Motor Trend that the street-legal version of the SLS AMG GT3 racer will not come to the U.S. We’re also told that the company is still debating bringing the SLS E-Cell to America. They also confirmed that a hardcore Black Series version of SLS is in the works. “We absolutely have to do a Black Series” SLS AMG, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Vehicle Development for AMG, Tobias Moers, told Motor Trend.
The other hardcore SLS variant, the upcoming street-legal version of the GT3 racecar, is not coming to America, Moers said. While it’s needed for homologation in Europe, it doesn’t race in the U.S. so it isn’t essential. AMG doesn’t think the low potential sales volume justifies the massive expense of re-certifying the car for the U.S. market.
It’s a similar issue for the upcoming SLS E-Cell electric sports car. Mercedes plans to launch the car in 2012 as a 2013 model in Europe but hasn’t decided whether the car will head to our shores. The company is again concerned about the low predicted volume and the cost of certifying the car. The price hasnt been announced but Moers says it will certainly be less than double the standard car’s price, but how much less is still unknown. We’d guess anywhere between $250,000 and $350,000 is realistic. “AMG does not do money losing projects,” Moers said. “We can’t afford to.”
The E-Cell replaces the engine and related equipment in the standard SLS with a carbon-fiber battery cell running up the middle of the car between the seats. The battery and electric motor are expected to add 1100 to 1300 pounds to the curb weight, but weight savings in other areas could offset the gain by 175 to 220 pounds. Mercedes is targeting a curb weight of no more than 4400 pounds. Moers says the advantage of a lower center of gravity thanks to the battery helps offset the weight gain’s effects on the handling.
“The E-Cell is not far away from the standard SLS on the track,” he said.
The massive battery will power an electric motor at the rear axle with an estimated 525 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. The motor is being co-developed with High Performance Engines, Mercedes’ F1 engine builder and the only engine builder to win an F1 World Championship with a KERS system.
Mercedes says its battery will be able to handle repeated charging with a Level 3 440-volt power supply, something other companies have indicated could damage a battery over time. Mercedes says its liquid cooling system will protect the battery and in fact the company has been charging prototypes on 440-volt power for over a year with no ill effects. On the other end of the spectrum, Mercedes is also concerned about how customers experience the E-Cell. The car will make some kind of noise, but not a spaceship sound. Moers says it needs to have a deep, low-frequency sound befitting an AMG. He said they might introduce some vibration to the otherwise smooth car to give the driver more emotional feedback.
Both gullwing and Roadster variants of the E-Cell are being developed, but whether they will roll out together or separately depends on customer demand. In the meantime, Mercedes is busy courting current and prospective Tesla owners and getting their feedback on what the high-performance electric car buyer wants."
"Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series in Works, GT3 Version Not for U.S., E-Cell Unclear"
"Officials at Mercedes-Benz’s in-house tuner AMG have confirmed to Motor Trend that the street-legal version of the SLS AMG GT3 racer will not come to the U.S. We’re also told that the company is still debating bringing the SLS E-Cell to America. They also confirmed that a hardcore Black Series version of SLS is in the works. “We absolutely have to do a Black Series” SLS AMG, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Vehicle Development for AMG, Tobias Moers, told Motor Trend.
The other hardcore SLS variant, the upcoming street-legal version of the GT3 racecar, is not coming to America, Moers said. While it’s needed for homologation in Europe, it doesn’t race in the U.S. so it isn’t essential. AMG doesn’t think the low potential sales volume justifies the massive expense of re-certifying the car for the U.S. market.
It’s a similar issue for the upcoming SLS E-Cell electric sports car. Mercedes plans to launch the car in 2012 as a 2013 model in Europe but hasn’t decided whether the car will head to our shores. The company is again concerned about the low predicted volume and the cost of certifying the car. The price hasnt been announced but Moers says it will certainly be less than double the standard car’s price, but how much less is still unknown. We’d guess anywhere between $250,000 and $350,000 is realistic. “AMG does not do money losing projects,” Moers said. “We can’t afford to.”
The E-Cell replaces the engine and related equipment in the standard SLS with a carbon-fiber battery cell running up the middle of the car between the seats. The battery and electric motor are expected to add 1100 to 1300 pounds to the curb weight, but weight savings in other areas could offset the gain by 175 to 220 pounds. Mercedes is targeting a curb weight of no more than 4400 pounds. Moers says the advantage of a lower center of gravity thanks to the battery helps offset the weight gain’s effects on the handling.
“The E-Cell is not far away from the standard SLS on the track,” he said.
The massive battery will power an electric motor at the rear axle with an estimated 525 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. The motor is being co-developed with High Performance Engines, Mercedes’ F1 engine builder and the only engine builder to win an F1 World Championship with a KERS system.
Mercedes says its battery will be able to handle repeated charging with a Level 3 440-volt power supply, something other companies have indicated could damage a battery over time. Mercedes says its liquid cooling system will protect the battery and in fact the company has been charging prototypes on 440-volt power for over a year with no ill effects. On the other end of the spectrum, Mercedes is also concerned about how customers experience the E-Cell. The car will make some kind of noise, but not a spaceship sound. Moers says it needs to have a deep, low-frequency sound befitting an AMG. He said they might introduce some vibration to the otherwise smooth car to give the driver more emotional feedback.
Both gullwing and Roadster variants of the E-Cell are being developed, but whether they will roll out together or separately depends on customer demand. In the meantime, Mercedes is busy courting current and prospective Tesla owners and getting their feedback on what the high-performance electric car buyer wants."
Sep 20, 2011 | 11:20 AM
#8
Thread Starter
| Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,406
Also in the plans are AMG version of the SLR (SLR sucessor) and a model sloted below SLS. Now that the partnership with McLaren has ended all new sport models will be developed with AMG and HWA.
