Taking a cue from the world of fashion, Mercedes-Benz launches four model updates at the 2008 New York auto show as its spring collection. This set of cars includes two roadsters, one with an AMG version, and an update to the beautiful CLS class, the four-door car that Mercedes-Benz calls a coupe.
Part of the SL's update keeps its design language in sync with other Mercedes-Benz models, such as using new headlight casings that reach up high into the fenders. The grille also gets a simplified look, with a single bar, while vents on the front fenders evoke World War II fighter planes.
Mercedes-Benz gives the SL its AMG treatment, which means a big 6.3-liter hand-built V-8 engine. The car uses a new seven-speed multiclutch transmission that shifts like a manual but doesn't require the driver to push a clutch pedal. The transmission shifts faster than a standard manual and also can offer a fully automatic mode.
A step down from the SL, the SLK also gets a redesign. Most importantly from the Car Tech angle, Mercedes-Benz points out that it gets the latest head unit, which we assume is the hard drive-based system we saw in the C300.
The updated CLS demonstrates Mercedes-Benz's grille simplification plan, going from four bars to two. Being a trendsetter, it gets trapezoidal tailpipes and new signal lights in the form of arrow-shaped arrays in the tail and on the mirrors.
