AMG won't build the B55

The B-Class-based high-performance variant AMG may build would retain all the virtues for which the Benz-owned tuner is known.

It would be properly "engineered from the ground up," said Jens Ehrig, formerly the Product Manager for AMG, but now heading up the company's Driving Academy.

Buttonholed by motoring.com.au during the media drive program for the SLS AMG Roadster, Jens Ehrig discussed the rumoured AMG B-Class — or to be more precise, he spoke about the lack of official denial for an AMG-fettled B-Class.

Asked whether such a vehicle would be anything like the B55 built by Benz mechanics and featuring a 5.5-litre V8 driving to the rear wheels, Ehrig was adamant a production AMG B-Class would be nothing like that.

"That's not AMG's style," he said.

Ehrigh, who has been with the company for over five years and has a marketing background, described low-volume street machines such as the B55 as practically "undriveable" and offered that this was the sort of vehicle more likely to be built by a company such as Brabus.

AMG was established in 1967 by two Germans, Aufrecht and Mechler (the A and M in AMG), with the operation based in the township of Grossaspach (the G in AMG).

According to Ehrigh, the company - now its own business unit under the Mercedes-Benz umbrella - sells roughly 20,000 cars around the world in a year, of which five per cent (1000 or so) are sold in Australia. That makes Australia a relatively important market for the company, and, like America, our perception of AMG is that of a brand in its own right. In Germany AMG doesn't have the brand zealot following of Australia or the US.

"What I love about Australia is you really have this strong brand image," said Ehrig.

And keeping that brand image pure is imperative, which is one reason why it won't be diluted with a product range of bitzers such as the B55.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site.