Long story short, the man knows how to build cars and what turns ordinary cars into supercars. On July 1, he replaced the former AMG chief, Volker Mornhinweg, and took charge of one of the highest ranking automotive companies in the world.
Among his new responsibilities at AMG are widening the range of the renowned performance line. He was also the one to unveil the long awaited CLS63 AMG before the public at the Los Angeles auto show.
Kallenius says that something smaller than the C-Klasse could be considered, but excluded the current A- and B-Klasse cars from a potentially extended AMG range, as they won't be suitable as AMGs in America. The new CEO also wants to improve sales figures in China, India, Korea and Brazil, in addition to AMG's regular markets in Western Europe, the US and Japan.
The Black Series, which is the top choice of enthusiasts, will hold true to its hardcore roots.
“(It) will always be that top-end,” he said, raising his right hand for artistic impression. “I can think of at least two cars coming up in the not-too-distant-future that just scream Black Series,” he said, indicating that the Black Series will grow.
Kallenius said that he isn't interested in making major changes, and that Mornhinweg made progress and he wants to continue that growth.
“The company was going in the right direction,” he said. “It’s about taking this direction and broadening it.”
What the new CEO is saying is that the company will be inspired by motorsports even more and maintain performance genes, in spite of the recent trend of becoming more fuel efficient.
“It is the Formula One team that is doing the battery for the SLS E-Cell,” Kallenius said.
AMG recently entered a partnership with Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, and will support the company's racing team. Kallenius' counterpart at Ducati, CEO Gabriele del Torchio perfectly described the feeling we all get when thinking of an AMG, with his statement: “We are obsessed with performance.”
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