SLR “Lite” plans shelved

By: CAR magazine

Plans for another Mercedes-Benz and McLaren partnership following the success of the SLR supercar have been put on hold.

Plans for another Mercedes-Benz and McLaren partnership following the success of the SLR supercar have been put on hold.

The head of the Mercedes Car group, Eckhard Cordes, has ordered a review of the company’s future products as plans are being put in place to improve quality standards and lower costs.

According to , the development of this smaller model, designed to fill the gap between the SL55 AMG and the SLR, will be postponed.

Plans for a smaller, mid-engined, rear-wheel drive model were revealed earlier this year. Smaller sister to the show-stopping SLR, and aimed directly at the Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo market, the car (codenamed P8) was to have been powered by a new 6,3-litre V8 engine.

The naturally aspirated V8, developed by Mercedes’ performance wing, will produce about 373 kW of brute force. It is to be used to power AMG models as well.

However, even though P8 is seen as a niche model in the Mercedes-Benz line-up, McLaren apparently insists that the car’s 2007 launch date has merely been shifted.

If all goes according to plan, P8 will be built alongside the SLR at McLaren’s Woking base. Production of the SLR will continue unaffected, with volumes currently exceeding initial projections.

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