Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
    • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automakers
April 27, 2019 04:21 AM

Mercedes will target Chinese performance fans with China-built AMG

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    view gallery
    9 photos

    SHANGHAI -- Daimler will begin building Mercedes-AMG cars in China when the A 35 long-wheelbase sedan runs off the assembly line in Beijing toward the end of this year.

    Currently Daimler exports the Germany-built Mercedes-AMG A 45, a high-powered version of the A-class compact car, to China. It's the entry level AMG in China and is the performance subbrand's top-selling AMG import.

    The A 45's popularity indicates that young Chinese customers in particular are developing a taste for powerful cars even though much of China's infrastructure consists of clogged city roads poorly suited for sports cars and traffic cameras that clamp down on speeding. Typically, even large luxury cars are equipped with underpowered engines, partly for tax reasons but it's difficult to go fast on most Chinese roads so powerful cars are not needed.

    Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said he recently had an encouraging conversation with the head of Lei Shing Hong (LSH) Holding, the largest Mercedes dealer in China. "They want to focus more on AMG because they see a huge potential," Zetsche said on the sidelines of the Shanghai auto show. Other dealers also see the potential, Zetsche said.

    LSH Holding's dealerships sell about 30 percent of all Mercedes' sales in China. The company has opened a showroom in Beijing selling just AMG models and plans a second AMG showroom in Shanghai.

    The A 35 L 4MATIC will be built at Daimler's Chinese joint venture with BAIC. Its wheelbase is stretched by 60mm (2.4 inches). It is powered by a 302-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine sourced from Daimler's plant in Koelleda, Germany, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.9 seconds. The A 45 has 376 hp.

    Nicholas Speeks, head of Mercedes-Benz sales for China, said more and more customers were being drawn to AMG cars. While some bought an S 63 sedan or G 63 SUV for the prestige of owning the most powerful version, others bought it for emotional attributes such as sound, he said. Speeks said demand for AMG cars in China was below the penetration rate of other major markets such as Germany and the U.S., but the country is among the top five simply because of the Chinese market's huge size.

    To further spur interest, Mercedes will build an AMG brand experience center at the independently-run Zhejiang Circuit in Shaoxing. Here drivers will have the opportunity to try out their own cars in a high-speed environment, while dining at restaurants and overnighting at a hotel near the track. This will enable AMG customers used to heavy traffic in cities such as Beijing to push their vehicles to the limit, or alternatively to improve their skills under supervision from trained instructors.

    The move borrows a strategy from Porsche, which opened a similar experience center and race track next to the Shanghai Formula 1 circuit last year.

    Speeks said Daimler will not build other long wheelbase AMGs in China. The automaker also has no plans to produce Mercedes Maybach ultraluxury cars in the country even though these are popular with China's super-rich.

    "There is a tradition and a history behind AMG -- German engineering out of Afalterbach," he said. The A 35 lwb was an exception because Daimler already builds a long wheelbase A class in China, Speeks said.

    "We are well served with everything else including the Maybach, an S-class derivative, being built in Germany," he said.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Renault, Nissan will present alliance redesign on Feb. 6
    Recommended for You
    renault nissan web2.jpg
    Renault, Nissan will present alliance redesign on Feb. 6
    6DEFENDER-MAIN_i.jpg
    Jaguar Land Rover adds third Defender shift to meet high demand
    Fearri Purosangue
    Ferrari expects 'even stronger' 2023 with more new models
    Capgemini Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    Sponsored Content: Capgemini Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
      • ANE Eurostars
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
        • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us