The Mercedes-Benz roadster that replaced the SLK in 2016 was the SLC.
The change arrived with the facelifted third-generation R172 roadster. Mercedes announced the renamed model in December 2015, with sales beginning in 2016 to mark the 20th anniversary of the original SLK. The car retained the same basic two-seat, retractable-hardtop roadster formula.
The new name reflected Mercedes-Benz’s revised naming system. “SL” identified the roadster family, while “C” indicated the car’s relationship in size and positioning to the C-Class. The name therefore changed more than the badge: the facelift brought revised styling, updated engines and newer equipment, while the underlying R172 lineage continued.
A common mix-up is confusing SLC with SLS or SLR. Those were separate Mercedes performance models, not successors to the compact SLK. The SLC remained in production until 2020, when Mercedes ended the model without announcing a direct replacement.