Mercedes-AMG offers two tiers of performance on certain models; the warmed-up 43 series and hyperbolic 63 series. They'll be doing something similar with the launch of their next-generation compacts.
Speaking to Top Gear, AMG boss Tobias Moers revealed that they'll be offering a slightly de-tuned and cheaper version of the A45 compact called the A35.
“I see a huge opportunity for the A35. It’ll be the A45’s little brother, an engine performance A-Class. The price point will be low, and not everything we can do with the 45 we can afford for the 35," said Moers.
“But it’s a step into a new segment where we’ve never been present in the past. I have my own approach how to do that; we have to have a close look at the competitors and who is going to be our benchmark. Then we work out what the task is of the A35 in setting the new benchmark.”
Rumor has it that the next-generation A45 will produce 400 horsepower from a turbocharged four-cylinder. This could mean the A35 might produce somewhere in the range of 300 horsepower, providing an alternative to the likes of the Volkswagen Golf R and Honda Civic Type R.
We're wondering if we could see a 35 variant of the CLA, which will be the first of Mercedes' next-generation compacts we will get.
Moers also revealed a couple of other tidbits of what's in store for AMG
- Confirmed the existence of the 53 series, which pairs a turbocharged 3.0L inline-six and a mild-hybrid system. We'll get our first look at it with the CLS 53 at next month's Detroit Auto Show.
- The V12 could be on its way out from AMG.
“The V12 market has changed, and I think it could be that we have to call it ‘done’,” Moers said. “We still have V12 aficionados, but they’re more into Maybach. We don’t need a luxury car like that in our AMG portfolio, so it could be that this is the last generation of V12 AMG S-Class’.”
Source: Top Gear
Recommended Comments
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.