– The Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG, a 493-horsepower roadster with a folding hardtop that sells for $114,000, was selected Robb Report’s 2003 car of the year. Runners-up in the luxury lifestyle magazine’s annual competition were the Bentley Arnage T, Dodge Viper SRT-10, Ferrari 575 Maranello, Hummer H2, Jaguar XKR, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz E500 and Mini Cooper S. “Thanks to its luxury interior, folding hardtop, and flexible engine, the SL55 never fails to relax you even as it invigorates,” Robb Report writer Robert Farago says in the magazine’s cover story.
– Toyota has shut down production of its Sienna minivan in Georgetown, Ky. Production of the vans, which began in August 1997, ended Dec. 20 as Toyota prepares to build the next-generation Sienna at its truck plant in Princeton, Ind., early next year. A total of 553,856 Siennas were built in Georgetown. Toyota says it is moving production of the next-generation Sienna to Indiana to make room for the Camry Solara coupes beginning next summer in Georgetown, which also builds the Camry sedan. The Solara has been built in Cambridge, Ontario.
