news

2019 Mercedes-AMG A45 to come with drift mode, more than 300kW

Hardcore mega hatch will be a step up in every way over the outgoing model


The 2019 Mercedes-AMG A45 is set to shake up the hot hatch segment with the AMG boss today confirming that it will pick up a drift mode.

Speaking with CarAdvice at the 2018 Paris motor show, Tobias Moers, the chairman of the management board of Mercedes-AMG confirmed what we were all wanting to hear, plus some extra detail about the gearbox in its new hot hatch.

"Everything. The 45, the next-generation 45 is an all-new story. It has a lot of improvements including the chassis, a brand new four-wheel drive system, there's nothing common with what you know today," he said.

"Yes. It's a dual-clutch eight-speed, the A35 is a seven-speed, the 45 will have an eight-speed," Moers said.

The current-generation A45 uses a hang-on all-wheel drive system capable of sending up to 50 per cent of torque to the rear axle. That's all set to change with the next-generation A45, which is set to get a new all-wheel drive system capable of holding the car sideways.

Moers confirmed that the new car will produce over 400 horsepower (that's more than 300kW of power), which will really shake up the segment in terms of specific power output.

"The chassis compared to today... it's unbelievable. We have various suspension in the car and it's an improvement in every perspective. There's more comfort, more rigidity in every way, so we put a lot of effort into the body in white. There's lots of reinforcement and it fits perfectly."

"Okay... you can go sideways with it."

The sideways technology is likely to be computer controlled like the E63, which allows even a novice driver to take advantage of the added torque under the bonnet.

When asked about how the new A45 will interact with the driver, the AMG boss explained that MBUX will play a pivotal role in displaying user information and giving the driver control over performance logging.

"We have really cool features. Much more emotional. We have a dedicated super sport kind of screen there that I personally put a lot of effort into designing. You have track pace and everything in the application."

Given what we've seen so far with the A35, we can't wait to see what Mercedes-Benz comes up with on the A45 front.

Chat with us!







Chat with Agent