Mercedes is thinking about putting a 350bhp AMG version of the B-Class MPV into production. Called the B45 AMG it will join the A45 AMG, set to be exposed at the Geneva motor show in March, in the new little cars and truck family.
“If the advertising people tell me we have the numbers then it’s not a huge deal,” Tobias Moers, head of advancement for AMG told us. “If there’s a market for it, there’s a great possibility we’ll have it.”
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Bringing a B45 AMG to market wouldn’t need as well much advancement work either, as Moers explained: “The advancement work for the A45 AMG really began in a B-Class, since the A-Class didn’t exist. We have three four-wheel-drive B-Class sitting around at AMG.”
If it makes production, the B45 will utilize the exact same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine as the A45, creating 350bhp as well as 450Nm of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission will be the only gearbox option, while 0-62mph will take around 4.5 seconds.
But the B-Class won’t be the only application of this engine in Mercedes’ little cars and truck family. The CLA ‘baby CLS’, set to be unveiled at the Detroit motor show in January, will likewise get an AMG variant, while a performance version of the GLA little SUV is likewise under consideration.
“Why not,” Moers told us. “Small SUVs are an boosting market as well as the SUV service is crucial to AMG, so a little AMG SUV might absolutely be done.”