Double Victory for Mercedes-AMG in Reader Poll: SLS AMG and E 63 AMG Voted Sports Cars of the Year - VIDEO ENHANCED

STUTTGART, GERMANY – December 6, 2010: Almost 70,000 readers of German car magazine "Auto Bild Sportscars" submitted their votes to make winners of both the SLS AMG and the E 63 AMG. The SLS AMG took first place in the category "Production Super Sports Cars", the E 63 AMG among the "Production Saloons". The award ceremony took place on 3 December 2010 at the Essen Motor Show as part of the Auto Bild "Race Night".

Click PLAY to watch David Coulthard Test Drives Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Sports Car

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG was up against 11 other contenders in the "Production Super Sports Car" category. 24.5 percent of readers of Auto Bild Sportscars gave their vote to the gullwing model.

In a strong field of 15 vehicles in the "Production Saloon" category, the E 63 AMG gained 19.2 percent of votes to come top in its class for the second year running. The "Sports Car of the Year" awards are an annual event that took place in 2010 for the eighth time.

"These wins for the SLS AMG and E 63 AMG confirm the popularity of our sports cars' with customers. Both models embody the very highest level of fascination and performance - and the readers of Auto Bild Sportscars clearly feel the same way, too", commented Christoph Jung, Strategic Project Manager SLS AMG, who accepted the award on behalf of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

Since its world premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2009 in Frankfurt/Main, the SLS AMG has won many major awards, most recently a gold Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany 2011. Here are just some of the other awards:

"red dot design award"

"iF product design award 2010"

"Design Award 2010" (Auto Bild)

"Plus X Award"

"Golden Steering Wheel 2009" (Bild am Sonntag and Auto Bild)

"The best cars", super-sports category (auto motor und sport)

Autonis "The most beautiful cars" (auto motor und sport)

"Auto Trophy 2009" and "Design Trophy" (Auto Zeitung)

"Golden Classic Steering Wheel, Classic of the Future" (Auto Bild Klassik)

"Most sporty cars of 2010" (sport auto)

"Internet Auto Award 2010" (AutoScout24)

"Best IAA New Product 2009“ (AutoScout24)

"TOPauto 2010" (Motor-Informations-Dienst)

"GT Car of the Year" (Top Gear, GB)

"Best Dream Machine" (MotorWeek TV’s Drivers’ Choice Award, USA)

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG dazzles with its exciting design and stunning technology. This includes an aluminium spaceframe body shell, AMG 6.3-litre front mid-engine with dry sump lubrication and an output of 420 kW (571 hp) along with 650 newton metres of torque, seven-speed double-clutch transmission in a transaxle arrangement and a responsive sports suspension with aluminium double-wishbone axles. This unique combination of sophisticated technology helps to guarantee the highest level of driving dynamics. An AMG high-performance ceramic composite brake system is available as an option.

Click PLAY to watch the complete unedited version of the Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Sports Car test drive

Characteristic features of the E 63 AMG include its powerful AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine with an output of 386 kW (525 hp) and 630 newton metres of torque, an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission and AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension with electronically controlled damping and independent front axle. An AMG high-performance ceramic composite brake system is available as an option for both Saloon and Estate models of the E 63 AMG.