Mercedes-AMG gears up for big 2020

MERCEDES-AMG is set for a bumper 2020 with a raft of new products touching down in Australian showrooms, including a number of its most affordable and popular offerings.

The performance arm ended up with 16 per cent of overall Mercedes-Benz Cars sales in 2019, translating to just over 5000 units – down on the previous 12 months where it managed one in every five of the 32,201 units sold in 2018.

Speaking to GoAuto, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific head of media and public relations Jerry Stamoulis said a supply restriction of some of its most popular models, including the A35 hatch and sedan,as well as the GLC43 and GLC63, hurt sales towards the end of the year, but that he was still happy with the overall sales performance.

Typically, AMG sales vary between 12 and 20 per cent of overall Mercedes-Benz Cars volume, depending on launches of its more popular models line the C63 and A45.

As usual, the C63 ranked as one of the brand’s best models, but more surprisingly, one of the most expensive offerings in the entire AMG range, the GT63 S 4-door Coupe, proved to be an unexpected success despite its $359,100 (plus on-roads) sticker price.

Looking forward to 2020, Mr Stamoulis said the performance arm is set for a bumper year with an extensive range of products on the horizon.

“It will be a very strong year for AMG – percentage doesn’t really matter, it’s more about getting the right cars that we want as soon as possible, because we know AMG customers want their cars as soon as possible,” he said.

The new-generation A45 hatch and CLA45 sedan – which has historically been more popular than the A45 – is set to touch down in March, featuring its ballistic 310kW/500Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine.

Another of the more popular models in the AMG portfolio, the GLC43 and GLC63 S mid-size SUV pair are also on their way early this year.

Other models confirmed by Mr Stamoulis to be on their way include the GLE53, and a raft of more affordable models like the GLA45, GLB35 and CLA35.

Mr Stamoulis said despite not having official confirmation, he was confident AMG’s 2020 range would be the most expansive in its history.

“It would be – I haven’t done the numbers, but it would have to be,” he said. “We’ve got three new 35s, we’ve got 53s, so it would add up, definitely.”

When asked if the faltering overall sales market would be reflected in AMG numbers, Mr Stamoulis said AMG popularity doesn’t always run parallel with overall market trends, and with multiple new models on the way that are keen to be snapped up by customers, the overall strength of the economy and new-vehicle market does not necessarily correlate with AMG sales.

When asked about the teaser video released last year of what looked to be a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) GT 4-door Coupe and any consequential public interest, Mr Stamoulis was unable to comment, only saying that electrification will continue to be an important factor for the brand.

He also was unable to comment on the existence of the ‘73’ nameplate rumoured to be applied to the PHEV powertrain, predicted to come in the form of the ubiquitous twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with assistance from an electric motor and battery pack.

An Australian trademark search returns no results for a GT73 four-door coupe, however the G-Class, S-Class and GLS have all been trademarked with the 73 moniker.