Mercedes-Benz is planning a hot AMG version of the next A-Class.
The upcoming A-Class will be launched late next year. It will be much lower and sportier than the current model, making it a natural rival for the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. Three-door and five-door models will be available.
AMG's new-model manager Cristoph Jung told What Car? the A-Class AMG will go on sale within two years and he expects it to have a four-cylinder petrol engine with 'somewhere between 225bhp and 275bhp'.
'We want a model below the C-Class, but we will use only a platform that's good enough to be tuned into an AMG model, and the next A-Class is.'
AMG is also looking the possibility of building a sports car below the SLS, which will be a rival for the Audi R8 and Porsche 911. The car would cost around £80,000.
Jung said it won't have the naturally aspirated 6.2 V8 for emissions reasons, but would probably have the 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 from the CLS63 AMG, or possibly a smaller 5.0-litre version.
