Rumors of a new Mercedes Benz SLC sports car by AMG  to rival the iconic Porsche 911 were sparked last year. Now, new information from Autocar sheds some light.

According to AMG boss Ola Kallenius, the expansion of the AMG line-up is greatly dependent to the sales performance of its specialized vehicles. “AMG is a financial company and runs with targets, just like every other company. These products can’t just be built for fun. We need a reasonable return to new fund projects.”

The past year for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG coupe proved to be a successful one. Not only have the sales provided AMG a return, but the “technologically fascinating” SLS succeeded in establishing the brand among the supercar elite as well. To this, Kallenius said, “Could we grow the family? Probably, yes, but that is not a decision we’ve made at this stage. What is clear is that we have entered a segment with an overwhelming reaction from customers and fans — and many of them are entirely new customers to AMG — so it would certainly be the right strategy to grow the AMG brand.”

We expect an entry level stand-alone AMG sports car to be on sale as soon as late 2013. With a projected price tag of £80,000, the two-seat coupe will likely receive power from an all-new 5.4-liter twin turbo V8 nesting in a front-mid-engine layout. Performance is expected to contest the Porsche 911 Carrera S with a 0-62 mph acceleration of 4.5sec and a top speed of 180mph. Engine variants, coupes and roadsters are expected as well.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Recently BMW revealed its new M Performance Diesel models, the M550d, X5 M50d, and X6 M50d, all of which are powered by the German automaker’s new 3.0L six-cylinder, tri-turbo diesel engine with 381-hp and 546 lb-ft of torque.

Unfortunately none of America will get to experience the new powerplant since BMW doesn’t find them fitting in the US market, but it appears as though AMG doesn’t find performance-minded diesel engines fitting in any market. The high-performance division for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, AMG head boss Ola Kallenius recently said that they have no plans to follow its German automaker rival in producing diesel engines, saying that it would introduce too many compromises to its performance-focused lineup.

“The technology of performance gasoline engines is converging with diesel tech. Direct injection, downsizing and turbocharging are all having an effect. We looked at diesel a few years back, but petrol engines have obvious benefits of sound, weight, agility and response,” Kallenius said.

We’re not ones to argue, considering AMG has a new 5.5L V8 Biturbo powerplant that puts out 544 to 571-hp with up to 664 lb-ft of torque. You could say some of us subscribe to the belief that if you’re looking for pure performance, fuel efficiency shouldn’t be of concern.

[Source: Autocar UK]

Mercedes-Benz will debut the A25 AMG, based on the A-Series concept, shown above, at the Paris Motor Show in September and plants to pack a new turbocharged engine under the hood.

The company is enlisting help from its own High Performance Powertrains (HPP) affiliate, which focuses on building F1 racing engines for the Mercedes team, among others. The A25 will get a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder which is based on the exisitng M271/M274 gas engine.

HPP called on its engine designers to come up with a product able to outshine the 2012 Audi RS3 Sportback’s 335-hp five-cylinder and the BMW M135i’s 316 hp straight six. Accomplishing that won’t be easy considering both the Audi and BMW can both bank on larger engine displacement to meet the mark.

This turbo 2.0L is also slated to find its way into CLC25 AMG and the CLC25 Shooting Brake AMG.

We’ll have to wait and see if Mercedes achieves the power that they are forecasting.

[Source: AutoCar]

Mercedes-Benz already took the SL a step in the performance direction last year, but now the sporty Merc will get the AMG treatment which promises power and prestige aplenty.

The SL63 AMG will debut at this year’s New York Auto Show where we’re predicting it to be a bit of a show stopper. The car will be powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 coupled to an AMG Speedshift Plus 7-speed automatic transmission that combines to produce 540 hp.

AMG products rarely fail to please and it sounds like this one will follow suit. We’ll bring you more during our coverage of the show.

A Jaguar XFR-S is likely to be on the way soon, spurred by competition from the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG which seriously outgun the British super-sedan.

The current XFR (pictured above) uses a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 to make 510 horsepower which falls about 40 ponies short of both sedans it directly competes with. While that’s a significant difference, it’s probably important to take a step back and realize that none of the numbers in this story are to be taken lightly.

Despite that, Jaguar will have to do something soon if they want to remain competitive. We don’t have concrete specifications on the XFR-S at the moment, but it was spotted running the Nürburgring last summer.

We expect it to pack at least 550 horsepower to stay on par, along with standard performance upgrades like a stiffer chassis and suspension. Of course, the price will increase as well, which we’ll report as soon as details break.

GALLERY: 2011 Jaguar XFR

[Source: AutoCar]

Kanye West once rapped that the Mercedes G550 was “his favorite toy”, but West, along with other rappers and oil shieks, will be sorely disappointed to learn that the new AMG versions expected to debut will make their lowly G550 look dated.

The G55 will get an updated twin-turbo 525-horsepower 5.5L V8, similar to other Mercedes AMG cars, to replace its supercharged V8. A mild facelift will also follow. But what’s really making news is the rumored G65, which should come with a twin-turbocharged V12 engine and a pricetag of $327,000. The V12 will put out 612 horsepower and roughly 738 lb-ft of torque. The excessive price tag and power figures are in play thanks to an ultra-exclusive run of only 250 cars.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz G55 and G65 AMG

Time lapse videos are probably the new cool thing on the Internet, and this one showcasing AMG Performance Studio customizing a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG proves why.

AMG Performance Studio wanted to show off just what they can do our in Affalterbach and at the same time, let their potential customers know how involved their customizations can be when ordering an AMG vehicle. By starting with a stock, glossy red SLS AMG, the Performance Studio meticulously disassembles the car, transforms the exterior of the vehicle to a matte Yosemite Blue finish, outfits it with a new set of wheels and redoes the entire interior to match the new exterior color scheme.

Check out the time lapse video after the break.

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It was back in 1967 when the AMG badge first appeared on a Mercedes-Benz product, and in 2012 it will first appear on a Formula 1 car.

In order to promote its performance division, Mercedes-Benz has decided to change the name of its F1 team for the 2012 season, and it will now be called “Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team.”

On this occasion, the director of motorsport at Mercedes, Norbert Haug said: “Our new team name fuses the proud traditions of AMG and the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows at the pinnacle of motorsport. These three letters (AMG) are synonymous with high technology, sporting performance and excitement and this step is a further strong sign of the strategic commitment Mercedes-Benz has made to Formula 1.”

So if you are a fan of the Aufrecht Melcher Grobaspach (AMG) racing cars, wait until March 18, for the first Formula 1 race of 2012, which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, to see your favorite racing cars in action.

[Source: Autocar]

Mercedes-Benz is prepping an AMG version of their B-Class hot hatch, and while a front-drive tall wagon may not sound like ideal AMG material, we’re pretty jazzed about the rumored specs.

A turbocharged 4-cylinder engine making 325-350 horsepower will be on board, as well a dual-clutch gearbox (with six or seven speeds). All-wheel drive will be needed to tame the prodigious power, as will bigger brakes, wider rubber and upgraded suspension tuning. Mercedes dealers have been asking for the B-Class as an entry-level product, but Mercedes hasn’t made a decision. On the other hand, the B-Class is already sold in Canada – which happens to be one of AMG’s biggest markets per capita in the world. So the hot B-Class could wind up making its way to the Great White North without ever heading to the USA.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz B-Class AMG

Typically we’ve been having to present official Wald Black Bison vehicles sporting Wald wheels and other Wald goods, hardly ever do we get to spot a full Wald Black Bison vehicle sporting someone else’s wheels. This time around, to show off Wald’s new Black Bison kit for the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, we decided to give the spotlight to Need 4 Speed Motorsports that put together this beauty.

In typical fashion, Wald’s Black Bison kit transforms the S63 AMG to a much sportier and more aggressive vehicle, while maintaining the class and style Mercedes is known for from the factory. Instead of outfitting the S63 AMG with a set of Wald wheels however, Need 4 Speed Motorsports turned to Vossen’s CV-1 wheels in a 21-inch sizing. To round it all off, Need 4 Speed also equipped the S63 with a lowering package and air suspension.

What do you guys think? Nice to see a full Wald Black Bison car sporting someone else’s wheels eh?

GALLERY: Wald Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Black Bison

[Source: GT Spirit]