Mercedes is looking at launching a sports hatchback to challenge the Scirocco ‘R’ and Megane R-CUP. AMG (the tuning division of Mercedes Benz) has requested the assistance of its High Performance Engine (HPE) offshoot in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, to develop the upcoming A25 AMG’s turbocharged 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine. It is scheduled to have its world debut this September at the Paris Motor Show.
The four-wheel-drive A25 mega-hatch is about to get a heavily reworked version of Mercedes’ current M271/M274 petrol engine. The unit comes with the same 7mm wall thickness and 90mm bore centre space as what Mercedes-Benz HPE had imagined for its discontinued turbocharged 1.6-litre Formula 1 engine. This powerplant being developed before the world motorsport governing body, the FIA, ratified conflicting turbocharged 2.4-litre V6 engine rules for the 2013 F1 season. AMG decided to involve HPE in the development of the A25’s engine after the tough engineering targets laid down by its boss, Ola Kallenius, formerly the head of HPE. Sadly I believe when it arrives in Malaysian showrooms its asking price will be far from the current segment leaders mentioned above, making it unreachable by most Malaysians.
