“Our task now is not just to celebrate the AMG success story, but, in one of the most exciting periods of automotive history, to help shape the performance of the future.”Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management, Mercedes-AMG GmbH
The three letters AMG stand for automotive performance, exclusivity and 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-AMG has recorded numerous successes in motor sport and through the development of unique road-going vehicles, repeatedly underlining its position as a highly successful sports car and performance brand. Today this is truer than ever. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG, the Affalterbach-based company represents the sporting spearhead of the Group.
In this anniversary year, with an eye to the future, Mercedes-AMG will carry on the success story of what began as a two-man company. For each of the now around 1500 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, which includes not only development, but also the “one man, one engine” philosophy, which means that each engine is, so to speak, hand-crafted by one engine builder. With almost 100,000 units delivered in 2016, over 40% growth, and the biggest strategic model initiative in the company’s history, AMG heads into this anniversary year with record figures under its belt.
“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. Our task now is not just to celebrate the AMG success story, but, in one of the most exciting periods of automotive history, to help shape the performance of the future,” says Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
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 intelligent aluminium lightweight construction form the basis for a highly dynamic driving experience. In 2016, AMG added particularly dynamic and fascinating models to the GT family in the form of the GT R and the two open-top roadster variants, the GT Roadster and the GT C Roadster. But that’s not all: following the AMG GT C Roadster, the Coupé is also available in the anniversary year with the same next-level performance and technology. It is positioned between the AMG GT S and AMG GT R and, at the time of the launch, will be exclusively equipped as the Edition 50 special model. At the same time, the Mercedes-AMG GT and AMG GT S benefit from visual and technical enhancements.
With a total of 18 overall victories and 32 other podium finishes, the international customer and performance teams celebrated a sensational season in 2016 with the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. The GT3 racing car got the season off to the ideal start. Following victory in the ADAC 24-hour qualification race, in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in late May the new GT3 racing car posted the greatest victory to date since the inception of the AMG customer sports programme, with overall victory, pole position, fastest lap as well as further finishes in second, third, fourth and sixth place now on record in the annals of motor sport. The brand’s clean sweep of the podium places in the world’s largest car race was shared by the AMG team BLACK FALCON (P1), the AMG team HTP Motorsport (P2) and the HARIBO Racing Team-AMG (P3).
Also in the customer sports programme, Mercedes-AMG will keep its foot on the gas in the coming season, with participation of the successful AMG GT3 being extended to the USA. Renowned teams will contest both the highly popular IMSA Series as well as the PWC, the Pirelli World Challenge. Also in the USA, the teams will benefit from optimal support from Mercedes-AMG Customer Sports.