Mercedes-Benz announces 2020 SLC Final Edition

Mercedes' entry-level roadster might not return.

Mercedes-Benz is sending off the SLC -- which was known as the SLK until recently -- with a limited-edition model aptly named Final Edition. The roadster is scheduled to make its debut during the 2019 Geneva auto show.

Mercedes has designed two variants of the Final Edition based on the SLC 300 and the SLC 43, respectively. While the 300 is painted Selenite Gray, the 43 wears Sun Yellow as a tribute to the Yellowstone color introduced on the original SLK that made its debut in 1996. Both receive contrasting high-gloss black elements plus edition-specific badges. All told, it's a low-key way to send off the SLC.

Inside, the SLC 300 Final Edition comes with sport seats upholstered in a combination of black and silver pearl leather with grey contrast stitching, grey seat belts, and carbon fiber-look leather inserts in the headrests. The list of standard features includes Mercedes' AirScarf technology, heated seats, and a memory function for the seats, the steering column, and the mirrors.

The SLC 43 Final Edition receives the same two-tone upholstery as the SLC 300, and many of the same features (including heated seats and the memory package). It gains an AMG Performance steering wheel with a gray 12-o-clock marker.

Mercedes is not making any mechanical modifications to the Final Edition cars. The SLC 300 boasts a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 241 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. The SLC 43 ups the ante with a 3.0-liter V6 tuned to deliver 385 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. They reach 60 mph from a stop in 5.8 and 4.6 seconds, respectively.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz SLC Final Edition will arrive in showrooms in 2020. Pricing and availability will be released closer to its on-sale date. Production will presumably end after the Final Edition sells out, and the SLC might not return for a new generation. Speaking to Digital Trends in 2018, Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers admitted Mercedes hadn't decided what to do with its entry-level roadster. "It's under discussion; under construction, so to speak," he said.

Note: Our gallery shows the European-spec SLC 300 Final Edition, which is available in Sun Yellow. The 300 will be grey in America, while the 43 will wear Sun Yellow.