AMG takes on Golf GTI
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Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Brisbane, Aust
2005 e55 amg
AMG takes on Golf GTI
All I can say is YES PLEASE. Would love a little mini AMG /drool
AMG will build a hot-hatch version of Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation compact car.
The chairman of Mercedes’ performance arm AMG, Volker Mornhinweg, revealed the plan at a media briefing prior to this week’s Geneva motor show.
He said AMG would “offer a lot more distinction within the product range in future” and confirmed AMG would “step into the compact class” of vehicles when the next-generation A/B-Class replacement arrives.
He said the move would not only have a big impact on the company’s overall CO2 output, but would usher in a different, younger customer base.
The company would design a range of sporty and agile AMG models “with a very different engine program”. But he said the move to downsize would not compromise AMG’s brand values.
“This step will in no way be tainted by compromise but will continue to bear the true AMG spirit. Today AMG is facing a new era. We are reinventing ourselves, while remaining true to our core brand values,” he said.
AMG’s head of vehicle development, Tobias Moers, said the next-generation compact Mercedes-Benz would be a big departure from the current A- and B-Class, which were more family-oriented than youth-oriented.
“The A and B-Class haven’t been positioned for younger buyers; they’ve always been seen as family cars. The new car will be more sporty,” he said.
The A and B-Class, with their high roofs and staid styling, haven’t lent themselves to performance applications, unlike BMW’s rival 1-Series, which has the sporty 135i, and Audi’s A3 range, which includes the S3 hot hatch.
“It’s all about getting younger people interested in the brand,” said Moers.
The move would also make the brand more widely accessible. At the moment the C63, which starts at $148,900, is the cheapest AMG, while BMW and Audi have sporty options for roughly half that price. A mid-$70,000 AMG hatch would plug the gap.
The new, sportier-looking hatch is tipped to replace both cars in the next couple of years. Insiders say the E-Cell electric car, which debuted at Frankfurt last September, is a pointer to the new-look compact Benz.
Moers says the company is looking at a range of options for smaller, forced induction four-cylinder engines. He said the twin-charging approach of the Volkswagen Golf, which uses a supercharger and a turbocharger, was a possibility.
“It’s too early to talk about it yet. Some discussions are going on,” he said.
AMG will build a hot-hatch version of Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation compact car.
The chairman of Mercedes’ performance arm AMG, Volker Mornhinweg, revealed the plan at a media briefing prior to this week’s Geneva motor show.
He said AMG would “offer a lot more distinction within the product range in future” and confirmed AMG would “step into the compact class” of vehicles when the next-generation A/B-Class replacement arrives.
He said the move would not only have a big impact on the company’s overall CO2 output, but would usher in a different, younger customer base.
The company would design a range of sporty and agile AMG models “with a very different engine program”. But he said the move to downsize would not compromise AMG’s brand values.
“This step will in no way be tainted by compromise but will continue to bear the true AMG spirit. Today AMG is facing a new era. We are reinventing ourselves, while remaining true to our core brand values,” he said.
AMG’s head of vehicle development, Tobias Moers, said the next-generation compact Mercedes-Benz would be a big departure from the current A- and B-Class, which were more family-oriented than youth-oriented.
“The A and B-Class haven’t been positioned for younger buyers; they’ve always been seen as family cars. The new car will be more sporty,” he said.
The A and B-Class, with their high roofs and staid styling, haven’t lent themselves to performance applications, unlike BMW’s rival 1-Series, which has the sporty 135i, and Audi’s A3 range, which includes the S3 hot hatch.
“It’s all about getting younger people interested in the brand,” said Moers.
The move would also make the brand more widely accessible. At the moment the C63, which starts at $148,900, is the cheapest AMG, while BMW and Audi have sporty options for roughly half that price. A mid-$70,000 AMG hatch would plug the gap.
The new, sportier-looking hatch is tipped to replace both cars in the next couple of years. Insiders say the E-Cell electric car, which debuted at Frankfurt last September, is a pointer to the new-look compact Benz.
Moers says the company is looking at a range of options for smaller, forced induction four-cylinder engines. He said the twin-charging approach of the Volkswagen Golf, which uses a supercharger and a turbocharger, was a possibility.
“It’s too early to talk about it yet. Some discussions are going on,” he said.
