“We have a clear understanding of what we have to achieve. “You need to achieve at least 400 horses, that’s for sure,” he said. Now Moers says he has set his team a clear target for the second instalment of the baby AMG as it develops the new A 45. However, following the release of the upgraded 280kW A 45 as part of the midlife A-Class facelift in September 2015, Mercedes said that was 'wrong' and that there will be no A 45 S in this generation. Mercedes-AMG had been expected to match Audi with a 294kW A 45 'S' after official brochure images revealing just that were leaked back in June 2015. Like AMG's current four-pot, the same engine should also power the next-generation CLA 45 sedan and GLA 45 crossover. With Audi recently raising the tempo to 294kW in its upcoming RS 3 hatch and sedan and BMW constantly honing its venerable in-line six, Moers confirmed AMG was working on a new four-cylinder engine for the next A 45 that would easily out-perform the current 280kW offering. He did, however, reiterate the need for a 300kW-plus output in the new A 45, which is due as soon as next year. “You can do donuts in that mode, but drifting on a racetrack – it’s not possible.”ĭespite the criticism, Moers was non-committal on whether the second-generation A 45 would be capable of either drifting or doing donuts. It’s OK, but it’s not drift mode,” he said. He’s not a fan of the wording, as evidenced by these comments at the New York motor show overnight. One clear distinction between the baby Merc and other hot hatch philosophies is Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers' position on ‘drift modes’ in four-cylinder cars. Mercedes-AMG has already confirmed its next-generation A 45 will produce more than 300kW in a bid to remain the world's most powerful hot hatch, but it's also expected to bring a revised all-wheel drive system to stay up to speed with the multi-dimensional AWD systems of some rivals.

Drifting lands grade 3 boss