Reports are coming in today detailing Mercedes’ plans to offer an AMG B-Class variant. According to current AMG boss Volker Mornhinweg, Mercedes plans to expand the AMG range to include the subcompact model, which the company believes will help attract younger buyers. Changes are said to follow AMG’s traditional range of improvements including revised chassis tuning, exterior enhancements and a higher-performance engine (likely a tuned four-cylinder) that will be hand-built in AMG’s Affalterbach, Germany factory.
Currently the Mercedes B-Class AMG is slated for a late 2011 launch with a 2012 model year designation; at present, there’s still no word as to whether or not we’ll be seeing any B-Class variants making it to the United States. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has confirmed Mercedes will be expanding their compact range beyond hatchback versions, with rumors indicating we could see compact sedan, coupe and roadster models. If Mercedes does expand the range to include multiple compact variants, one would have to assume that at least some will be destined for the U.S. market. As always, we’ll keep you posted if we hear anything new; in the meantime, you can check out some second-generation B-Class spy photos below, or head over to Motor Authority for the full B-Class spy photo gallery.
