AMG Celebrates 45th Anniversary, Hints at Eight New Models
AMG may be celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, but the high-end German automaker is already looking forward to its next five years where it appears that we’ll get another eight AMG models to lust over.
We’re already well aware that the SLS AMG GT and GL 63 AMG will be heading to showrooms later this year, and up next will be the automaker’s first high-performance vehicle for the compact market: the A 45 AMG. It will be powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine specifically developed for the model, with AMG aiming to have over 300 lb-ft of torque on the compact model.
“Our goal is to build the most dynamic, most powerful and at the same time most efficient four-cylinder series production compact car. Together with other future high-performance compact cars, the new A 45 AMG will embody exclusive dynamism and the ‘AMG Performance 50’ growth strategy. With this passionate commitment to what for us is a new vehicle segment, Mercedes-AMG plans to make a significant contribution to the growth of Mercedes-Benz Cars”, asaidOla Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG.
The 2.0-liter will be mated to an AMG Speedshift DCT seven-speed transmission and will feature all-wheel drive. AMG plans to have the world premiere of the A 45 AMG model in the first quarter of 2013.
More importantly however, as part of its AMG Performance 50 plan, the automaker hopes to expand its current range of 22 models to 30 vehicles in the near future. It is also aiming to sell more than 30,000 vehicles a year, up 50 percent from its current 20,000 unit volume. Unfortunately the only details AMG was willing to spill was that it will expand on its S-Class range and CL-Class range.
In addition, it hopes to open around 350 AMG Performance Centers worldwide by its 50th anniversary with a growth focus in the China, Russia, Korea, and Brazil markets. Currently there are 270 Performance Centers in 24 countries since 2008.
We excitedly look forward to what AMG will be bringing to the automotive industry in the next five years.
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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