New Mercedes A160 CDI and B160 CDI Variants Gain 89HP Diesel from Renault and Dacia Models

Joy of joys for those looking to get into a premium badge for as little money as possible, with very low running costs. Mercedes-Benz has just launched the most affordable variants they will ever offer for their A- and B-Class offerings in Europe.

Dubbed the A160 CDI and B160 CDI, they sport very frugal Renault-sourced diesel engines, six-speed manual gearboxes, and starting prices of €25,882 and €27,310 respectively, in Germany.

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Mercedes A45 AMG Easily Beats BMW M135i and VW Golf GTI in Comparison Test

The following comparison test from Autocar couldn’t bring together more different types of hot-hatches. For starters, there’s the all-wheel-drive Mercedes A45 AMG powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit developing 355 horsepower (360PS). Then there’s the rear-wheel-drive BMW M135i powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine that churns out 316 hp (320PS). Finally, the most curious choice of the test is the VW Golf GTI Performance, a front-wheel-drive 227hp (230PS) car powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Read more »

Sutcliffe Passes Judgment on the New 355HP Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG

The A45 AMG is Mercedes’ smack in the face of the established hot hatch manufacturers, with a car that looks different, apparently drives quite well and is powered by the world’s most powerful production two-liter turbocharged engine. It’s so impressive, that it’s actually faster in a straight line than the bigger, more powerful and far, far more expensive CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake. Read more »

Mercedes A45 AMG Beats CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake in Quarter-Mile Race!

Yes, that’s right, the little “hot hatch” from Mercedes-Benz, the A45 AMG has just been put up against the much bigger, more expensive and more powerful CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake and it beat it! AutoExpress discovered that the smaller and cheaper car was measurably faster over the standard quarter mile, in a result which really surprised us as well. Read more »

Merc's 355HP A45 AMG Coming to the UK in August Priced from £37,845

The new Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG hot hatch has a lot going for it – it looks good, it packs a powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot with the highest specific output of any production engine at 179hp (181PS) per liter, and also gets four-wheel drive, just to mention a few of the highlights.

Today, we also learned when and how much it will cost in the UK. First deliveries will take place in the beginning of August with on-the-road prices starting from £37,845, which makes the dual-clutch transmission-only A45 AMG close to £7,000 more expensive than the 316hp (320PS) BMW M135i (RWD) with a manual gearbox, and nearly £4,000 more than the 8sp automatic version.

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Mercedes-Benz Explains What Makes the A45 a Real AMG

Mercedes-Benz's AMG division is well aware of the fact that they are somewhat diluting the brand with the A45 AMG. Here they are taking three letters that they have built up into a V8- and V12- powered performance brand over many years and slapping them on the back of a very flashy-looking hatchback. It has to be really good not to be bashed. Read more »

Mercedes Uses Fairies and Aliens to Promote the A45 AMG

With 355-horses (360PS) kicking under its hood, the Mercedes A 45 AMG boasts the world’s most powerful 2.0-liter 4-cylinder production engine. That in itself is enough to make drivers enthusiastic about the prospect of getting behind the wheel of the very hot hatch.

So when there are two drivers and only one car, things can get interesting – even more so if the duo are Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG Petronas’ Formula 1 drivers.

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Mercedes-Benz Expects FWD Models to Be Most Sought-After Models

There are so many examples of manufacturers breaking their regular mold of vehicles they are familiar with, and start doing something new and different on the side, to boost profits and sustain a solid growth figure – this is contradictory, though, because growth, by definition cannot be endlessly sustained…

Still, that thought hasn't stopped Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar (with the X-Type), Audi, Porsche, and well pretty much all premium carmakers in trying, and being fully confident of the success of their strategy each and every time.

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Mercedes to Launch A45 AMG and C63 AMG Edition 507 in June

The new A 45 AMG and C 63 AMG “Edition 507” are now available to order in Europe following their world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show.

For the 360PS (355 HP) A 45 AMG, the Edition 507 package brings a series of individualization options, including the AMG Night package (€797.30) that comes with a privacy glass, black anodised beltline trim strip, black tailpipe trims in chromed finish, radiator fins in silver chrome, high-gloss black painted finish for front splitter, exterior mirrors, side sill panel inserts and rear apron trim.

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The Year of the Hot Hatch: See Which Models We're Expecting in 2013

If anything else, this year, the automotive world will be blessed with a wide range of new hot hatches for you to choose from. Sadly, for U.S. buyers, most of these pocket rockets will be staying in Europe, but if there was ever a time to switch continents, now would be it (well, from an automotive perspective...).

To make your decision easier, we have put together a list of all of the hot hatches that are expected to go on sale in Europe in 2013, and which you can check out in detail right after the break.

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hatch Reloaded by Vath

If you haven't noticed, there's a huge power gap in the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class' range, and specifically, between the A250 that sports a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four delivering 208hp (211PS) and the A45 AMG featuring the same displacement engine but with a whopping 355-horses (360PS). Read more »

Mercedes-Benz Announces New Sport Products for the A-Class in Geneva

The CLA front-wheel drive compact sedan was the single most important model from Mercedes-Benz’s extensive range that debuted at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. We’d rate the A 45 AMG a (very) close second, though; plus, the three-pointed star also decided to spray some of the 355HP mega-hatch sporty sparkle on the rest of its premium B-segment contender. Read more »

New 355HP Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG Bows at the Geneva Motor Show [w/Video]

Mercedes-Benz is not exactly renowned for its hot hatches; in fact, it has been absent from this segment since… well, forever. Now that the third-gen A-Class is a proper B-Segment hatchback instead of a mini MPV like its predecessors, the three-pointed star decided it wanted to play. Read more »

New Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG Edition 1, Plus First Video Trailer

As with most newly launched Mercedes-Benz models these days, the A45 AMG will be offered in a special trim grade named Edition 1 for a limited run during the car's first year on the market.

What the "Edition 1" brings to Stuttgart's hottest hatch is some custom styling touches, while also ticking most boxes on the options list, for a more affordable price than if ordered separately.

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Mercedes-Benz Details New A45 AMG Hot Hatch with 355HP [27 Photos & Video]

The new A45 AMG high-performance hatchback was officially revealed today, and it's a little more powerful than what Mercedes-Benz lead to us believe.

In fact, the Germans originally told us that the A45 AMG's newly developed 2.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged inline-four would make around 330hp (335PS) and over 295lb ft (400Nm) of peak torque, before it revised that number to 345hp (350PS) and 332 lb-ft (450Nm) last November.

Third time is a charm with the final numbers standing at 355hp (360PS) and 332 lb-ft (450Nm), which Mercedes-Benz says makes the 2.0-liter unit "the most powerful series production four-cylinder turbo engine in the world".

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New Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG Comes with 350PS, AWD and a 7sp Dual Clutch Transmission

Photos of the new Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG surfaced on the internet today providing us with our first camouflage-free look at the German brand's high-performance hatch, designed to challenge the 315hp (320PS) BMW M135i and 335hp (340PS) Audi RS3.

We don't have the official release in our hands yet, but Mercedes-Benz confirmed the A45 AMG's basic specifications last November.

The hottest addition to the A-Class family of hatchbacks makes do with a heavily revised version of the brand's 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four petrol rated at 350-horsepower and 332 lb-ft (450Nm) of peak torque.

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New A180 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY is the Most Frugal Mercedes-Benz Model of All Time

A few months after the launch of the new A-Class, the brand with the star is enhancing the range of its compact hatchback with two new eco-friendly BlueEFFICIENCY Edition models, one of which has the distinction of being the most fuel-efficient Mercedes-Benz model of all time. Read more »

Scoop: Upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLA Compact Crossover Filmed on the Road

Two weeks ago, we brought you spy pictures of the newest and smallest member of Mercedes-Benz's growing family of SUV and crossover models, tipped to be called the GLA.

Now, French car magazine L'Automobile brings us more details of the GLA in the shape of new spy footage nabbing a prototype wearing varying levels of disguise while testing in Spain.

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European Car of the Year Short List with the 8 Finalists Revealed, Think You Can Pick the Winner?

After announcing the 34 nominees (38 if you include re-badged models like the Seat Toledo and Subaru BRZ) in late September, the organizing committee of the European edition of the Car of the Year award has now released the short list with the 8 finalists.

Normally, the short list includes 7 models, but due to the fact that two cars tied in the same position during the voting process, the committee increased the number of finalists to eight, just as it did in the 2007 edition of the award.

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Spied: Mercedes-Benz Takes GLA Baby-SUV Out to Play in the Snow

While no one expects a crossover like the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLA (keep in mind, the name is not final) to be a true-blue off-roader, Stuttgart's engineers are making sure that their new model will be able to handle itself properly on more extreme conditions such as snow covered forest paths and roads.

Our spy shooters captured a more lightly camouflaged GLA prototype while undergoing its first cold weather testing in Northern Europe.

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