Mercedes confirms new AMG Sport line-up

Mercedes-AMG has officially confirmed it will take the fight to Audi's S Quattro, BMW's M-Performance and Jaguar's Sport line-ups with a new range of four-wheel drive AMG Sport badged models.

Set to go on sale in Australia early next year, the new AMG Sport models are planned to sit between the wide array of Mercedes-Benz models available with an AMG styling package and the burgeoning range of full-blown AMG models headed by the company's new GT.

Distinguishing the new AMG Sport models are subtle exterior and interior styling tweaks, uniquely tuned engines, specially calibrated chassis settings and revised exhaust systems.

First reported about by Drive back in August, the new line-up is planned to kick off with two models based on the C-class and upcoming GLE Coupe, which AMG boss, Tobias Moers, says will be revealed at the Detroit motor show in January.

Further AMG Sport models are set to follow, although no time frame has been given for their introduction.

Official details remain under wraps, though the C-class based AMG Sport model is described as a  development of the existing C400. To be badged C450 AMG Sport, it receives a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 direct injection petrol engine tuned by AMG to deliver in the region of 274kW.

That's 33kW more than the standard C400, but 70kW shy of the least powerful version of the new C63, which runs AMG's new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 direct injection petrol engine.

Along with the C-class, new AMG Sport models are expected to be added to the A-class, CLA-class, GLA-class, C-class coupe, C-class cabriolet, SLC, upcoming GLC, E-class saloon, E-class coupe, E-class cabriolet, GLE and soon-to-be-revealed GLE Coupe and SL line-ups in time.

Meanwhile, AMG has announced it will achieve a new sales record of "well over 40,000" cars in 2014, thanks in part to the introduction of the new A45, CLA45 and GLA45. This is up from 32,000 in 2013. Sales of AMG variants in Australia are travelling at a record rate, with the performance brand expected to sell more than 2500 cars locally in 2014. Australia was the third best performing region for AMG around the globe in October.

With the introduction of its new AMG Sport line-up, Mercedes-Benz's performance car off-shoot is targeting over 64,000 sales by 2017.

In the next three years we aim  to more than double our total sales for 2013," said Moers at the announcement of AMG's new model line at the company's headquarters in Affalterbach on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany on Thursday.