Mercedes unveils new version of supercar!

Mercedes Benz plans to launch a new open top version of its SLS AMG super car.

"The SLS Roadster is a super sports car, cruiser and highly desirable dream-car all in one. In its distinctive way, it continues the succession of iconic and exciting sports cars from Mercedes-Benz," says Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Mercedes Benz.

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The car packs the same engine as the one fitted on the regular model, speeding the Roadster from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 317 km/h.

The Roadster's three-layered fabric soft top, which will be available in black, red or beige, can be opened and closed at speeds of up to 50 km/h with the fully automatic process taking just 11 seconds.

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Mercedes says the flush, gap-free transition between the outer roof skin and the bonded rear window of heated single layer safety glass helps keep wind noise to a minimum.

Deposited behind the seats in a folded Z-configuration, the capacity of the boot is 173 litres with the roof either open or closed, which is just short of the Coupe's 176 litre boot capacity.

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Going on sale sometime in August or September, the roadster includes all the things motorists love about the coupe: aluminium spaceframe body, AMG 6.3-litre V-8 front-mid engine producing 563 horsepower, a seven-speed dual clutch transmission and a sports suspension with aluminium double wishbones.

The Roadster also sees a new AMG Ride control sports suspension available as an option.

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With electronically controlled damping, the system allows the driver to modify the damping characteristics of the vehicles at the press of a button using the AMG Drive unit to choose between three suspension modes: Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus.

Mercedes will also be making the new suspension system available as an option on the Coupe in the future.

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There is also a new motorsport-inspired, Android-based AMG Performance Medea multimedia system that displays telemetric data, such as lateral and linear acceleration, various engine data and lap times on a racetrack.

The system also provides high-speed mobile Internet access so the driver and passenger can surf the web when the car is stationary.

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The system will also be installed on other AMG high-performance cars in the future.

Orders for the Roadster will be taken from June 1, 2011, ahead of its market launch later this year at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

It will cost about $278,960 (Rs. 12,580,841).