Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers has confirmed that the next-generation A45 hyper hatch will be powered by an “all-new engine” rather than a revised version of the current 280 kW 2,0-litre turbocharged unit.
“The new 2.0-litre will be an all-new engine,” Moers revealed to CarAdvice.
Moers told the Australian publication that while the inclusion of an electric compressor for extra low-down oomph was a possibility, it was unlikely to be implemented on the next model, which he described as being “still a little while away”.
“Yes, an electric turbine is something we have a close link to, but maybe not in that first version,” he explained, making reference to the sort of technology used by the Mercedes-Benz F1 team.
The AMG chief – who recently took a pot-shot at Ford over its “drift mode” – went on to confirm that the next-gen A45 would make in excess of 300 kW, with the ding-dong power battle with Audi (the latest RS3 churns out 294 kW) set to continue.
“Yeah, we have to be over 300 kW, too, we know that. You have to be at a certain level,” he revealed.
“Look, it’s really too early to talk about the specific details, but we have to do something special. We don’t want to give a tip or an advantage to our competitors, but we do need to be over 300 kW – that’s the new standard,” he said.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the new Concept A Sedan in Shanghai earlier this week, providing “an outlook of the next generation of compact vehicles and a potential, new body type”. And it’s this sort of “creaseless” styling that we can expect the next-generation A-Class to adopt.
