Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series Coming; GT3 Version Not for U.S.

Officials at Mercedes-Benz’s in-house tuner, AMG, have confirmed that the street-legal version of the SLS AMG GT3 racer will not come to the U.S., however a Black Series version of the SLS is in the works.

Tobias Moers, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Vehicle Development for AMG said, “We absolutely have to do a Black Series,” but he adds that while the GT3 racecar is needed for homologation in Europe, it doesn’t race in the U.S. so it isn’t essential. AMG does not believe that the low potential sales volume justifies the huge expense of re-certifying the car for the U.S. market.

Mercedes also has plans to launch an upcoming SLS E-Cell electric sports car in Europe in 2012 as a 2013 model, but the company has not decided whether that version will come to the U.S. either, again citing low predicted volume and high cost of certifying the car as the main reason. “AMG does not do money losing projects. We can’t afford to,” said Moers.

For those in Europe who will eventually get their hands on the SLS E-Cell, the car’s engine is replaced with a carbon-fiber battery cell running in the middle of the car between the seats. All in all, Mercedes is reportedly targeting a curb weight of no more than 4400 pounds.

Source: Motor Trend