Mercedes A 45 AMG sold out until mid-2014

The Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG global launch is underway in Europe ahead of its September launch in Australia, but if you want one you'll have to join the queue.

There's already a waiting list for up to nine months, possibly longer...

One of the most anticipated new car launches of 2013, the twin-turbo all-wheel drive A 45 AMG performance hatch is already experiencing supply issues before it's even been launched.

During the updated 2013 E-Class sedan and wagon launch in Melbourne today, Mercedes-Benz Australia Managing Director Horst von Sanden revealed the $74,900 A 45 AMG has attracted "substantial" pre-orders.

He confirmed that a nine-month wait for the fire-breathing four-cylinder was possible, noting that new customers would be lucky to get the 265kW/450Nm speed machines until 2014.

"Depends if you shop around," said von Sanden. "Maybe some dealers still have allocation, but there's a huge demand for that car."

The local Mercedes chief said the new model could double AMG's annual sales from around 1100 to 2200 units in 2014, but only "if we can secure supply in line with demand" which suggests supply might be tighter than previously thought.

"It is obviously a terrific vehicle in a price range where a much bigger number of buyers can afford it. There was never a lack of attraction for the AMG brand, and now we've opened it to a totally different segment of buyers and I'm sure they will grab it," added von Sanden.

The long waiting list for A 45 AMG performance car mirrors its donor vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, which is still struggling to keep up with customer demand in Australia four months after its launch.

"Unfortunately, the waiting list has not dramatically improved [for A-Class]. We've got a bit more allocation but at this stage some dealers have sold their allocation for this year already. Some are four months out," explained von Sanden.

"A-Class has been a huge success for us. We have limited production at this point in time, and we're basically selling everything we can get our hands on," he said, adding that supply issues are not isolated to Australia.

"There is a world-wide demand on A-Class which is higher than the supply. I can't tell you exactly how much worse we are than other markets, but there is a worldwide shortage at this stage."

Mercedes-Benz is working feverishly to open a new manufacturing plant in Hungary that would help boost production of the A-Class, but von Sanden would not say whether future A-Class models arriving in Australia would come from the new Hungarian plant.

A-Class vehicles are currently sourced from Germany.

"I don't know which cars come from which plant," he said. "I was never interested in that."

"Remember when we had the C-Class from South Africa? There were some customers or even press people concerned that said, 'Is that a problem?' In the end quality audits showed that it was not a problem.

"Honestly I personally don't care from which plant our cars come because it doesn't have a negative impact," stated von Sanden.

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