Mercedes-AMG has officially confirmed it will take the fight to Audi’s S Quattro, BMW’s M-Performance and Jaguar’s Sport line-ups with a new range of four-wheel drive AMG Sport badged models.
Set to go on sale in the UK early next year, the new AMG Sport models are planned to sit between the wide array of Mercedes-Benz models available with an AMG styling package and the burgeoning range of full-blown AMG models headed by the company’s new GT.
Distinguishing the new AMG Sport models will be subtle exterior and interior styling changes, uniquely tuned engines, specially calibrated chassis settings and a more intense exhaust note.
First reported about by Autocar back in August, the new line-up is planned to kick off with two models, which AMG boss, Tobias Moers, says will be revealed at the Detroit motor show in January. Further AMG Sport models are set to follow, although no time frame has been given for their introduction.
While AMG is yet to confirm just which models will spearhead its AMG Sport line-up at launch, Autocar can confirm the existence of a C450 AMG Sport model.
Based on the existing C400, it receives a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 direct injection petrol engine tuned by AMG to deliver in the region of 362bhp.
That’s 33bhp more than the standard C400, but 107bhp shy of the least powerful version of the new C63, which is powered by AMG’s new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 direct injection petrol engine.
Along with the C-class, new AMG Sport models are expected to be added to the A-class, CLA-class, GLA-class, C-class coupé, C-class cabriolet, SLC, upcoming GLC, E-class saloon, E-class coupé, E-class cabriolet, GLE and soon-to-be-revealed GLE Coupé and SL line-ups in time.
Meanwhile, AMG has announced it will achieve a new sales record of “well over 40,000” cars in 2014, thanks in part to the introduction of the new A45, CLA45 and GLA45. This is up from 32,000 in 2013.
With the introduction of its new AMG Sport line-up, Mercedes-Benz’s performance car off-shoot is targeting over 640,000 sales by 2017.
“In the next three years we aim to more than double our total sales for 2013,” said Moers at the announcement of AMG's new model line at the company's headquarters in Affalterbach on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany today.
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