Benz delivers 1000 AMGs

It's a unique convergence of events. The one and only designo magno Night Black Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG anywhere in the world is also the 1000th AMG model to be sold in Australia during 2010.

Known as the 'Blackbird' SLS (pictured), the car was displayed on the Mercedes-Benz stand at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney two months ago. What makes it unique is that it features red badging and highlights as well -- and there will not be another car built in the same colour scheme.

"The "Blackbird" was created by the Performance Studio at AMG in Affalterbach specifically to our specifications and we have an ironclad commitment from AMG that it will NEVER be repeated in the colour scheme that it is finished in," said the Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz cars, Horst von Sanden

"Each Mercedes-Benz vehicle is special, but we wanted something truly unique and the "Blackbird" is not just the only one of its kind ever but it also gets the accolade of being the 1000th AMG sold by us in 2010. It is a truly unique vehicle and the lucky new owner even has a special plaque on the car to signify its one off status."

The sale of the Blackbird SLS caps off another strong year for AMG, with Benz still anticipating sales of the C 63 to exceed 600 units for the year. 

"The performance of AMG in Australia Pacific is absolutely fantastic," said Mario Spitzner, Director Branding and Marketing for AMG. "We regard Australia as one of the most important and loyal AMG markets in the world and we congratulate the more than one thousand new AMG owners Down Under for helping us achieve this milestone. A special thanks goes to our colleagues at Mercedes-Benz Cars in Australia who are perhaps even bigger fans of AMG than all of us here at Affalterbach!"

Of the 1000 cars sold during the year, the C 63 AMG accounted for more than half. As at the end of November, C 63 had notched up 492 units sold, of which only about 30 were wagons. The figures reflect an apparent change of mood among buyers of high-performance mid-size prestige cars -- with the C 63 over 200 units ahead of its nearest rival, BMW's M3.

We asked David McCarthy, Senior Manager Corporate Communications for Mercedes-Benz in Australia, what conclusions could be drawn from the sales disparity? Is it in anyway related to the nature of the C 63? While he steered clear of commenting on the BMW, McCarthy had this to say about the C 63's success: "I'd characterise [the context] as rear-drive V8s have traditionally been an Australian and American thing, but what's been missing in there... is the level of chassis and engine sophistication.

"What the C 63 does is it delivers the chassis sophistication and the engine sophistication that buyers want in that price range. Yet it's not an upmarket HSV or FPV; it's a European interpretation of a formula that's time-honoured, but it's done with polish and it has a completeness to it that those other cars don't have."

McCarthy attributes the overall success of the AMG brand to a number of elements, including the company's history, Benz-organised drive days and AMG specialists at the dealers.

"With AMG, we are just as protective of that brand as BMW is of 'M' and Audi of 'RS'. But I think that the reason it has resonance with buyers is because [of] the package that we deliver -- and that includes the ownership club, it includes the drive days... things like the Grand Prix.

"Because of the reputation we have with AMG in Germany, we get access to things that a lot of other markets don't -- and that's not just in terms of product, but in terms of opportunities in Europe.

"So I think it's the total package."

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