Mercedez Benz News AMG's Boss Believes Brand Will Not Be Diluted With More Models

[William Maley]

Owning a Mercedes-Benz AMG model for a time was something special as there was only a few models to get the performance treatment. But the past few years has seen an explosion of AMG models that offering varying levels of performance. There is also the AMG-only models like the GT and GT 4. Some are wondering if AMG is going a bit overboard with this model expansion. Not so according to Tobias Moers, head of AMG.

"The A35 family is not diluting the brand. We have shared components with the next 45. And driving-dynamics-wise it's on the same level as the current A45, but with less horsepower. It's a different segment and we're going to be really competitive with pricing," said Moers to CarAdvice at the Paris Motor Show this week.

The A35 will sit between the standard A-Class and upcoming A45 AMG. It packs a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder with 302 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive, the A35 can hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds.

"From my perspective, whether you're in the car...value for money, that's the key. Mercedes brought back in the past and A-Class...was the brand diluted then? I don't think so. When we introduced the A45 we had a lot of questions like that, was the brand diluted? No. We get access to brand new customers," Moers went on to say.

Thus we have a double-edge sword situation; having more models allows for more people to experience AMG performance, but could also alienate those who spend the big bucks on the higher end models.

Source: CarAdvice

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[G. David Felt]

Personally I think a performance model at each class size is needed by all OEMs. Yet having two in the same class as they have here A35 and A45 is a bit overkill and I do have to think that they are diluting it.

A35 should be a Sport model, not the AMG. That is the top of the line power monster.

[smk4565]

First off Tobias Moers is the best auto executive there is and he is CEO of AMG so I’d go so far to say this guy is the best automotive CEO.  He gives the people performance.  I never heard anyone complain that too much horsepower is a bad thing or too many sports cars is a bad thing.  At a time when most brand are dumping performance cars in favor of 4 cylinder crossovers, I am glad there is someone like Moers who can deliver performance to every type of vehicle.   And he is the reason we are getting a Formula 1 powered road legal car.

I don’t really see this diluting the brand, they could have called it A300 or A350 and put a sport package on it and I would have been fine with it too.  But AMG is about the whole package not just the engine.

[ccap41]

They've abslutely diluted the brand the same way BMW has diluted the M brand with "M Sport" with how they've lowered the brand to C43, E43, etc. 

Oh and Audi with their "S-Sport" package.

All fluff and little content outside of aesthetics. 

[G. David Felt]

56 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

First off Tobias Moers is the best auto executive there is and he is CEO of AMG so I’d go so far to say this guy is the best automotive CEO.  He gives the people performance.  I never heard anyone complain that too much horsepower is a bad thing or too many sports cars is a bad thing.  At a time when most brand are dumping performance cars in favor of 4 cylinder crossovers, I am glad there is someone like Moers who can deliver performance to every type of vehicle.   And he is the reason we are getting a Formula 1 powered road legal car.

I don’t really see this diluting the brand, they could have called it A300 or A350 and put a sport package on it and I would have been fine with it too.  But AMG is about the whole package not just the engine.

NO MAN is the best, always someone who can beat another and right now his ARROGANCE is showing in this multiple levels of performance in a auto class. Performance should be only a single top level and the rest below it are various levels of the standard auto.

This has been proven over and over again in diluting and killing a brand specialness.

AMG might as well just go out and be their own stand alone brand then if they want every level of an auto class to have AMG on it.

[ccap41]

5 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Performance should be only a single top level and the rest below it are various levels of the standard auto

Why "Should" it be that way? 

[G. David Felt]

2 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Why "Should" it be that way? 

Simple marketing and expectation. 

Nothing wrong with performance focused on every level, you have a natural auto company then. But AMG has been marketed and sold as the ultimate performance auto of a class of auto. If you start putting AMG on every model in that class, you have diluted it and taken away the specialness of the premium you sell AMG for.

Having as has been done an A35 and A45 AMG auto, you are saying these are better than the one's below, but not the best and you have diluted the AMG logo.

A35 should just be a performance sport model not an AMG model. You already have just packaging versions of AMG as you also do with BMW M line. This also dilutes  the specialness of a true performance focused AMG or M line.

[ccap41]

8 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Simple marketing and expectation. 

Nothing wrong with performance focused on every level, you have a natural auto company then. But AMG has been marketed and sold as the ultimate performance auto of a class of auto. If you start putting AMG on every model in that class, you have diluted it and taken away the specialness of the premium you sell AMG for.

Having as has been done an A35 and A45 AMG auto, you are saying these are better than the one's below, but not the best and you have diluted the AMG logo.

A35 should just be a performance sport model not an AMG model. You already have just packaging versions of AMG as you also do with BMW M line. This also dilutes  the specialness of a true performance focused AMG or M line.

If it's marketing wouldn't it benefit them more to do it the way they're doing it? 

It is working.

My friend's mom who bought a 540i a month or two ago has the M Sport package and keeps saying she has the top of the line M BMW. No, No you do not. 

And I did already agree that the brand is diluting itself but you said they "should be only a single top level and the rest below it are various levels of the standard auto." There's no reason, especially as consumers and auto enthusiasts, that we shouldn't welcome more and more performance variations. 

[smk4565]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

They've abslutely diluted the brand the same way BMW has diluted the M brand with "M Sport" with how they've lowered the brand to C43, E43, etc. 

Oh and Audi with their "S-Sport" package.

All fluff and little content outside of aesthetics. 

The S4, S7, S8 cars are performance cars.  I don't know what M-sport is doing.

I know AMG does a lot of work on their cars, the C63 for example has a longer hood and different body than the C300 because the V8 doesn't fit in a standard C-class.  AMG is it's own company with 1,500 employees that is owned by Daimler.  They aren't just an appearance package like Lexus F-sport.

 

[smk4565]

58 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Simple marketing and expectation. 

Nothing wrong with performance focused on every level, you have a natural auto company then. But AMG has been marketed and sold as the ultimate performance auto of a class of auto. If you start putting AMG on every model in that class, you have diluted it and taken away the specialness of the premium you sell AMG for.

Having as has been done an A35 and A45 AMG auto, you are saying these are better than the one's below, but not the best and you have diluted the AMG logo.

A35 should just be a performance sport model not an AMG model. You already have just packaging versions of AMG as you also do with BMW M line. This also dilutes  the specialness of a true performance focused AMG or M line.

AMG is ultimate hot hatch, the ultimate sedan, ultimate convertible, ultimate coupe,ultimate SUV, etc.  Yes they make 50 models in every body style, but all have performance.  I like that AMG makes every body style and has cars like the E43 soon to be E53, because some people want the performance handling and braking, but don't need 600 hp.  This is also why there is a Corvette Gran Sport and Z51 to get the best handling, but maybe you don't need a 700 hp engine.

As to the A35 I am indifferent, it could be an A300 with an AMG appearance package, much like you can get an E450 or S560 what is the upgraded engine over the base on those classes.   They were going to make this car either way, and the GLA, CLA, GLB will get this same engine.  I don't really care if they call them CLA 300 or 350 or AMG 35.

[ccap41]

39 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

The S4, S7, S8 cars are performance cars.  I don't know what M-sport is doing.

I know AMG does a lot of work on their cars, the C63 for example has a longer hood and different body than the C300 because the V8 doesn't fit in a standard C-class.  AMG is it's own company with 1,500 employees that is owned by Daimler.  They aren't just an appearance package like Lexus F-sport.

 

S4, S6, S7, S8 are the Audi version of BMW's 340i, 540i, 650i, 750i and Mercedes'(now in fake AMG guise) C43, E43, S560

The "new" AMG's that are the C43 and E43 are no more than an appearance package on what used to be the C and E400. Yes, they throw more boost at the 3.0 but there really isn't a whole lot there that isn't offered on the E400.

I mean look at their highlights for the car... The first things you see are basically the same as the E400. 

[smk4565]

The E43 isn’t the same as the E400, otherwise they would not do both.  This is getting improved with the 430 hp E53.  And AMG still puts them handling, exhaust sound, steering feel, the AMG 4matic is different,  etc in a C43 or E53.  

I still say Moers is the best, he knows what he is doing.  He got the AMG One to market, he did a 4 door GT he is working on an S73 and SL73, your typical bean counter auto exec wouldn’t do any of that.

[ccap41]

Mmmm exhaust on a V6. I bet that sounds just wonderful. The E43 is a fake AMG just like the C43 is and just like BMW's M-Sports and Audi's S-Sports.