Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster will attract ‘a completely different buyer’
With the coming release of the AMG GT Roadster, Mercedes-Benz faces an interesting task of how to best position the vehicle in dealerships next to the existing SL63 AMG Roadster, which on the surface, you'd think would attract a similar buyer. Not so, according to the German marque.
"It's still too early to talk about price for the AMG GT Roadster, but we can expect it to be under $350,000 as a ballpark figure," Jerry Stamoulis, Manager for Public Relations and Product Communications, told CarAdvice at the recent launch of the AMG C43 Coupe.
"There'll be limited numbers initially, but it will be as available as the GT Coupe has been after that first batch of orders is filled," Stamoulis said.
Above: 2017 Mercedes-AMG SL63
How will the SL63 and the AMG GT Roadster sit in the same dealership then? "We think these are two very different customers," Stamoulis told CarAdvice.
"The GT Roadster will attract a very similar buyer to what we’ve seen with the AMG GT coupe, which is a purebred AMG sports car from the ground up. The SL63 on the other hand, balances the world of sports car and open road cruiser and for those reasons, that will appeal to a different market to the AMG GT Roadster."
While the pricing might be within the same ballpark, Mercedes-Benz is definitely targeting an even bigger slice of the big performance drop-top pie.
"When I say that we think the AMG will be a similar market to the coupe, we're talking about a buyer who desires open top sports car driving, and better access to the sound of that amazing exhaust, that you will get with the AMG GT Roadster," Stamoulis said.
Above and Top: 2017 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster
The 2017 Mercedes-AMG GT and GT C Roadsters were revealed last month, with the latter model slotting between the GT S and GT R grades in the coupe line-up in terms of performance.
Australia will get the GT C, at least, in the second half of next year. Considering the standard GT Coupe didn't make it to our showrooms, it could prove to be a similar case for the drop-top.
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