The hot hatch segment is entering a new era, with the top heroes in this world exceeding the 300 hp mark by a hefty margin and offering a level of performance that rivals that of proper sports cars.
Now that Audi has gifted the A3 with the TT RS’ 340 hp & 450 Nm engine, it’s time for Mercedes to make a move. The Internet has been buzzing with rumors about a future AMG-badged small vehicle in the past, but now the info is more detailed. The German carmaker’s AMG division will release a 320 hp A-Klasse in 2012, as autocar reports. Of course, the vehicle will also be a competitor for BMW’s recently introduced 340 hp & 450 Nm (yes, the same power rating as the RS3) M version of the 1 Series coupe.
The vehicle will be based on the third generation of the A-Klasse, being powered by a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine that will send the power to the road via all four wheels.
The engine that will come with an aluminum block and a twin-scroll turbocharger will work with a sew six-speed dual-clutch gearbox and a Haldex-style all-wheel-drive system that will come with a rear-drive bias and feature an electronically operated torque-vectoring clutch for the rear axle.
The new A-Klasse will be underpinned by Mercedes’s MFA (Modularen Frontantriebs-Architektur) platform that leaves the sandwich floor concept behind, with the result being a lower vehicle.
Mercedes will introduce a concept to preview the car at next year’s Shanghai motor show, with the production model expected to use the A25 AMG designation.
Now that Audi has gifted the A3 with the TT RS’ 340 hp & 450 Nm engine, it’s time for Mercedes to make a move. The Internet has been buzzing with rumors about a future AMG-badged small vehicle in the past, but now the info is more detailed. The German carmaker’s AMG division will release a 320 hp A-Klasse in 2012, as autocar reports. Of course, the vehicle will also be a competitor for BMW’s recently introduced 340 hp & 450 Nm (yes, the same power rating as the RS3) M version of the 1 Series coupe.
The vehicle will be based on the third generation of the A-Klasse, being powered by a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine that will send the power to the road via all four wheels.
The engine that will come with an aluminum block and a twin-scroll turbocharger will work with a sew six-speed dual-clutch gearbox and a Haldex-style all-wheel-drive system that will come with a rear-drive bias and feature an electronically operated torque-vectoring clutch for the rear axle.
The new A-Klasse will be underpinned by Mercedes’s MFA (Modularen Frontantriebs-Architektur) platform that leaves the sandwich floor concept behind, with the result being a lower vehicle.
Mercedes will introduce a concept to preview the car at next year’s Shanghai motor show, with the production model expected to use the A25 AMG designation.