These three letters stand worldwide for supreme automotive performance, exclusivity, efficiency, and highly-dynamic driving pleasure.

AMG – these three letters stand worldwide for supreme automotive performance, exclusivity, efficiency, and highly-dynamic driving pleasure. In 2017, the company founded by Hans-Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher is celebrating its 50th anniversary. In the course of this half-century, Mercedes-Benz-AMG has recorded numerous successes in motor sports, and through the development of unique road-going vehicles has repeatedly underlined its position as a highly-successful sports car and performance brand.  Today, AMG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler AG.

In this anniversary year, Mercedes-Benz-AMG will carry on the exceptional success story of what began as a two-man company. For each of the now 1,500 employees, the focus will be on the brand promise of “Driving Performance,” which unites the core strengths of AMG: cutting-edge technology and a passion for dynamic, emotively-appealing products. The company from Affalterbach stands for outstanding engine expertise, including not only development, but also the “one man, one engine” philosophy, which means that each engine is hand-crafted by one builder. With the biggest strategic model initiative in the company’s history, AMG heads into this anniversary year with record figures.

With 99,235 vehicles delivered in 2016, the success story of Mercedes-Benz’s sports car and performance brand reached a new level — unit sales have more than tripled since 2013. This was made possible by the development of performance models that are in greater demand than ever before. Yet the strategic broadening of the portfolio in recent years has also led to the successful development of new groups of customers. So, the company’s global success is not solely based on the popular eight-cylinder models of the 63 series. The compact 45 series, along with the wide range of the 43 series, are finding favor with many customers.

“We’re on the road to worldwide success with our strategic portfolio expansion and can look back on a sensational year. The 63-Series models still constitute our core product line, and they continue to delight auto enthusiasts around the world. In addition, our AMG GT series, which was developed entirely in-house, is now available as a broad-based family, with which we have impressively demonstrated our expertise as a sports car brand. At the same time, our broad portfolio puts us in the perfect position for further sustained growth,” says Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz-AMG GmbH.

New customers

2016 saw ten new models being added — performance-minded customers are able to choose from over 50 models. In each category, AMG is offering the most powerful standard-production four-cylinder compact to the sportily-elegant S 65 with its superior 12-cylinder engine, and from “saloons” and estates in many different output classes, to a broad range of SUVs and coupés, to cabriolets and variously-configured roadsters. The available technology ranges from optimized rear-wheel drive to state-of-the-art all-wheel drive, as well as from dual-clutch transmissions to a sporty nine-gear automatic transmission.

At the same time, the sports car and performance brand has won entirely new groups of customers with its recently launched 43 series models with their powerful and efficient six-cylinder engine. Other hallmarks of the 43 series derivatives include special transmission tuning with shorter shift times as well as AMG-specific axle designs and suspensions, and powerful brake components.

With the Mercedes-AMG GT series, the company is once again underlining its status as a highly dynamic sports car brand. Following the SLS AMG, the GT models are the second sports car family to be developed entirely in-house. The front mid-engine concept with transaxle and the lightweight aluminum construction form the basis for a dynamic driving experience. In 2016, AMG added fascinating models to the GT family in the form of the GT R and the GT Roadster and the GT C Roadster variants. The coupé is also available in the anniversary year with the same next-level performance and technology. It is positioned as the Edition 50 special model.

Hypercar with Formula 1 technology

Mercedes-Benz-AMG is setting a further landmark in 2017 by giving a peek into future performance in the form of a street-legal hypercar. Offering unadulterated Formula 1 technology for the road, the hypercar is thus the first commercially-available vehicle with an F1 hybrid powertrain. With a system output of over 1,000 hp and four-wheel drive with all-electric front axle, it marks the pinnacle of what is currently technologically feasible.

For maximum efficiency, AMG has equipped the V8 engine in the performance saloon with the Cylinder Management cylinder deactivation system. In addition, all-wheel drive as well as an optimized transmission that includes a coasting function provide exemplary low fuel consumption and emissions.

Competence center for V8 development

Affalterbach is home to AMG hand-crafted V8 engine building. Four-cylinder in-line engines are produced in Kölleda, and V12s in Mannheim. Each engine is hand-assembled by a single builder at these sites according to the “one man, one engine” philosophy, and is provided with a badge bearing the mechanically-reproduced signature of the relevant technician.

Mercedes-AMG is today responsible for the development not only of the new eight-cylinder family of the Mercedes-Benz brand, but also of the AMG V8 engines. The first standard-production vehicle to be fitted with a V8 engine developed in Affalterbach was the G 500, which celebrated its market launch in September 2015. The V8 engine for the upcoming new S-Class was also developed in Affalterbach.

Milestones in the history of AMG

The company, founded by Hans-Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, has been fulfilling the dreams of performance enthusiasts for 50 years. The pair set up their first workshop in an old mill in 1967 as an “engineering office and design and testing center for the development of racing engines.” In 1971, the AMG 300 SEL 6.8L of “Aufrecht and Melcher, Großaspach” – AMG – claimed victory out of the blue in its class and took second place overall in the 24-hour race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Another milestone was the all-new cylinder head with cutting-edge valve technology, developed by Melcher.

Collaboration with Mercedes-Benz began in 1990. The C 36 AMG, launched in 1993, was the first vehicle on the market to result from this collaboration with Daimler-Benz. In 2005, Mercedes-AMG became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler-AG, and 2009 saw the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the first vehicle to be developed entirely by Mercedes-Benz-AMG.

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