Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG won’t dilute AMG brand

Asked by CarAdvice if those ‘lesser’ AMG models will hurt the AMG brand, Mercedes-Benz Australia public relations senior manager David McCarthy said he didn’t believe so.

“I don’t think it will, we very clearly say it’s an AMG sport, but it’s not an AMG,” McCarthy told CarAdvice.

When asked why it should wear an AMG badge if it's not an AMG, McCarthy said, “because it’s developed by AMG.”

“Remember, the first car that was fully developed but wasn’t badged by AMG was the A250, that was developed… the engine the suspension, everything about it was developed by AMG.”

The confusion is better clarified now that Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG are different brands — the Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG sitting below its more potent brother, the Mercedes-AMG C63 AMG S.

“Every brand is different. I think the AMG brand has not only enough respect, but you won’t see that badge going on a car that is not worthy of it. Tobias [Moers, the head of AMG in Germany] has a view on it and he believes it’s the right view.”

Although the C450 AMG is yet to properly launch in Australia, the car is potentially going to wear an AMG badge on the rear bumper and start at around $110,000.

“It will have some AMG badging on it. The C450 Sport… Anyone who buys it is going to know that it is by AMG.”

Other brands, such as BMW with its M division and Audi with RS, offer a range of packs and accessories that utilise performance-oriented styling or enhancements.

Audi offers S line packages and models, which are one step below the RS range, while BMW proudly displays the M badge on cars such as the M135i and M235i — however it has stopped short of introducing an M340i or M440i, so as to further differentiate the M3 and M4 from the pack.

Does the Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG detract from the proper AMG offering? Have your say in the comments section below.

Read CarAdvice's Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG Review here.