PIMS teaser: Mercedes-Benz's six-letter surprise

CATS Motors has revealed its weapon of choice in the war of upstaging other carmakers during the Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) next month: the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is the first independently-developed vehicle by Mercedes-Benz-AMG. It is also a tribute and a true successor to what is arguably the German carmaker’s most iconic sports car, the 300SL Gullwing.

With a long bonnet and a short boot, the SLS AMG bears the styling elements of a classic sports car. Everything else in the car, however, is a testament to the ultramodern and highly-technical prowess of AMG engineers. Its 6.3-liter V8 AMG engine, for example, puts out 571 horsepower and 650 Newton-meter of torque and is mounted on a lightweight aluminum space frame.

Matching the SLS AMG’s impressive figures is an interior that certainly befits a luxury grand tourer, with the hand-stitched leather with contrasting stitches on the dashboard, electronically-adjustable sport seats, interior door panels and armrests. The three-spoke AMG Performance leather steering wheel has a 365-millimeter rim and a flattened lower section, shift paddles and a metal insert for an authentic custom-built look. Adding a sporty feel to the interior are the carbon fiber trimmed center console, the aluminum pedals, and the aluminum-finished circular aircon vents.

The SL 63 AMG Roadster is currently the most expensive Mercedes-Benz vehicle in the Philippines at P15.8 million. It’s anyone’s guess how much the most-desired car in Mercedes-Benz’s lineup will cost.