MERCEDES-BENZ SL65 AMG SELECTED
‘CONVERTIBLE OF THE YEAR’ AT ANNUAL ‘TOPLESS’ COMPETITION
The Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, a spectacular combination
of automotive performance and luxury, captured top honors Thursday (June
2) in the sixth annual Topless in Miami Presented by Haartz,
competition conducted by the Southern Automotive Media Association and
featuring the top convertibles on the market today.
Headquartered at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, 44
SAMA members spent the day rating a field of 16 vehicles in six
categories. They selected the SL65 as the winner of the Super
Luxury/Exotic class as well as awarding it the title “Convertible of the
Year” in South Florida.
The 2017 SL65 AMG is the second vehicle from the
German automaker to receive such recognition from the automotive
journalists as the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster was Convertible of the
Year in 2012. Other past winners were the Porsche Boxster GTS in 2015,
Audi RS5 in 2014, Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet in 2013, and Audi R8
Spyder in the inaugural event in 2011.
Among other class winners for 2016, the Mazda MX-5
Miata was voted the top Small Convertible for the third consecutive year
and the Chevrolet Camaro was selected the winner of the Performance
Full-Size category.
The Mercedes-Benz SLC43 was No. 1 in the Performance
Roadster class, giving Mercedes-Benz two winners for 2016."Mercedes has
a broad range of open-air vehicles — both soft-top and retractable
hard-top from the Smart ForTwo to the E-Class Cabriolet to the Mercedes
SL65 — they have a vehicle to suit drivers from all walks of life," said
Matthew Williams, director of business development for the Haartz
Corporation.
"There was a great mix of vehicles at this
year's competition — from the classic sports cars to the high-end luxury
vehicles. Our soft-top technology and innovation was well represented in
the field."
Also, for the first time vehicles with Panoramic
sunroofs were included in the competition with the Hyundai Genesis
winning the Panoramic Luxury class and the new Chrysler Pacifica the
Panoramic Affordable category.
“It was an extremely close competition this year, and
every vote counted,” SAMA President Jose “Pepe” Delfino said. “It’s not
an easy job to distinguish among such great vehicles, but our members
look forward to it each year.”
Other vehicles entered in the event were the Porsche
911 Carrera S (Super Luxury/Exotic), VW Beetle Dune and Mini Cooper
(Small), Ford Mustang GT (Performance Full-Size), Nissan 370Z and Alfa
Romeo 4C Spider (Performance Roadster), BMW X5 xDrive 40e and Infiniti
QX60 (Panoramic Luxury), and Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan Murano
(Panoramic Affordable).
Winners and other entries from the competition will be
on display at a special exhibit during the annual Miami International
Auto Show Sept. 10-18 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. SAMA is an
organization of automotive journalists, representatives of media
organizations, corporate communications specialists, marketing and
advertising representatives, and auto manufacturers related to South
Florida’s dynamic automotive industry.
Based in Miami, it was formed in March 2007 and has
grown to include more than 140 members from around the South and
country. For more information, visit its website
www.samaonline.org
The Haartz Corporation (Haartz) is a world leader in
highly engineered and uniquely designed convertible toppings and
interior surface materials. The company’s world headquarters and North
American manufacturing operations are located in Acton, Massachusetts,
with additional manufacturing in Mannheim, Germany and coming soon to
Pune, India.
Beyond these manufacturing locations, Haartz maintains
offices in Detroit, Munich, Tokyo, Delhi, Irapuato, Mexico, Shanghai and
Chongqing, China. In April 2016, the company announced a strategic
alliance for the Chinese automotive market by entering a joint venture
with the Minth Group, the new company, to be known as Haartz-Minth (Ningbo)
Automotive Ltd. Employing over 400 people worldwide, Haartz has been a
trusted automotive supplier since 1907, and continues to be privately
owned and operatedby the Haartz family. For more information, visit
www.haartz.com Join the
conversation on Twitter, @Haartz.