CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF MERCEDES-AMG SUCCESS/
AMG - these three letters stand worldwide for supreme automotive performance, exclusivity, efficiency and highly dynamic driving pleasure.
In 2017, the company founded by Hans-Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
In the course of this half-century, Mercedes-AMG has recorded numerous successes in motor sport and through the development of unique road-going vehicles, thereby repeatedly underlining its position as a highly successful sports car and performance brand—and today this is truer than ever.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG, the Affalterbach-based company represents the sporting spearhead of the Group.
In this anniversary year, with an eye to the future, Mercedes-AMG will carry on the exceptional success story of what began as a two-man company.
Driving Performance
For each of the now around 1500 employees, the focus will be on the brand promise of "driving performance," which unites the core strengths of AMG: cutting-edge technology and a passion for dynamic, emotively appealing products.
The company from Affalterbach stands worldwide for outstanding engine expertise, which includes not only development, but also the "one man, one engine" philosophy, which means that each engine is, so to speak, hand-crafted by one engine builder.
With almost 100,000 units delivered in 2016, i.e., over 40 percent growth, and the biggest strategic model initiative in the company's history, AMG heads into this anniversary year with record figures under its belt.
Dynamic growth
Mercedes-AMG expanded significantly in 2016 as a whole, andwith a growth of 44.1 percent, again significantly exceeded the best previous-year figures.
With 99,235 vehicles delivered, the success story of Mer- cedes-Benz's sports car and performance brand reached a new level. Unit sales have thus more than tripled since 2013.
This dynamic growth was made possible by continuous further development of the performance models, which are in greater demand than ever. Yet the strategic broadening of the portfolio in recent years has also led to the successful development of new groups of customers. Hence, the company's global success is not solely based on the popular eight-cylinder models of the 63 series. The compact 45 series models, along with the wide range of 43 series models, are finding favour with very many customers while placing AMG's modern product portfolio on a broad, solid basis.
"We're on the road to worldwide success with our strategic portfolio expansion and can look back on a sensational year," said Tobias Moers, chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes AMG GmbH. " The 63 series models still constitute our core product line, and they con- tinue to delight auto enthusiasts around the world. In addition, our AMG GT series, which was developed entirely in-house, is now available as a broad-based family, with which we have impressively demonstrated our expertise as a sports car brand. At the same time, our broad portfolio puts us in the perfect position for further sustained growth. Our task now is not just to celebrate the AMG success story, but, in one of the most exciting periods of automotive history, to help shape the performance of the future," he added.
Portfolio expansion
2016 saw the biggest strategic model initiative in the history of Mercedes-AMG. With over 10 new models being added to the product portfolio, from January 2017, performance-minded customers will be able to choose from over 50 models.
In each category, Mercedes-AMG boasts a comprehensive and impressive product offering: from the most powerful standard-production four-cylin- der compact to the sportily elegant S 65 with a superior twelve-cylinder engine, from saloons and estates in many different output classes, to a broad range of SUVs and coupés, to cabriolets and variously configured roadsters.
The available technology is among the best on offer in the respective vehicle categories, ranging from optimised rearwheel drive to state-of-the-art all-wheel drive, as well as from a dual-clutch transmission to a sporty nine-gear automatic transmission.
Popular vehicle categories
At the same time, the sports car and performance brand has won entirely new groups of customers with its recently launched 43 series models.
The first such vehicles were unveiled by Mercedes-AMG at the Detroit Auto Show two years ago. The 43 series models come with a powerful and efficient six-cylinder engine.
With the Mercedes-AMG GT series, the Affalterbach-based company is once again underlining its status as a highly dynamic sports car brand.
Following the SLS AMG, the GT models are the second sports car family to be developed entirely in-house. The front midengine concept with transaxle and the intelligent aluminium lightweight construction form the basis for a highly dynamic driving experience.
In 2016, AMG added particularly dynamic and fascinating models to the GT family in the form of the GT R and the two open-top roadster variants, the GT Roadster and GT C Roadster.
Following the AMG GT C Roadster, the coupé is also available in the anniversary year with the same next-level performance and technology.
It is positioned between the AMGGT S and AMGGT R and, at the time of the launch, will be exclusively equipped as the Edition 50 special model.
At the same time, the Mercedes-AMG GT and AMG GT S benefit from visual and technical enhancements.