Detroit Show: Mercedes gives first look at E63 AMG

MERCEDES-Benz has revealed its fire-breathing E63 AMG in a group image of the 2013 E-Class range ahead of its Detroit debut next week.

The image shows the German marque’s sporty E-Class range-topper in motion on a proving ground banked track with other recently unveiled variants, including the sedan and wagon that were revealed in images released in December and the coupe and cabriolet that were shown last week.

Unsurprisingly, the new-look E63 AMG features a more aggressive look than its more staid sedan counterpart, including a sportier grille, bigger and darker wheels and the giveaway V8 badge on the side panel.

While not much is known about the 2013 E63 AMG at this stage, expect improved performance over the existing model that has a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 pumping out 386kW of power for the standard model and 410kW for the Performance Pack.

With the full line-up going on show at Detroit, Mercedes-Benz Cars member of the board of management responsible for sales and marketing Dr Joachim Schmidt said the E-Class was crucial in the company’s line-up.

“With more than 13 million vehicles sold, the E-Class segment represents one of the key building blocks of our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy,” he said.

“The launches of the new E-Class family and the S-Class during 2013 mark the beginning of our most comprehensive model initiative ever in this segment and once again set clear benchmarks in terms of safety, design, quality and efficiency.”

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that the E-Class will be joined in Detroit by the sleek CLA four-door coupe in its world premiere.

Based on the MFA platform that underpins both the upcoming A-Class and recently released B-Class, the CLA will be charged with broadening Mercedes-Benz’s appeal to younger customers.