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The premium hatchback war that’s been boiling over the past few years is about to get a lot more interesting, thanks in large part to a certain German automaker that’s looking to release an AMG-stamped model of their new A-Class vehicle. Mercedes-Benz is no stranger to high-performance cars and predictably enough, they’ve got a pretty imposing one waiting in the pipeline for its unveiling later this year. The car is the Mercedes A22 AMG and recently, some pretty interesting information regarding the future of this latest AMG Mercedes was leaked out. Understand, however, that this information doesn’t cover everything we need to know about the car; Mercedes is reserving that for a later date. Fortunately, the car is already being penciled in to make its debut in the coming months so the wait for the full details to be revealed shouldn’t be too long. Note: Photo is of a rendering done on the next-generation A-Class. Details on the Mercedes-Benz A22 AMG after the jump. Exterior and InteriorWe know that the new A-Class will come with a three-door and five-door version, although it remains to be seen which variant Mercedes is looking to use for the A22 AMG. We do know that Mercedes is offering the A-Class, and subsequently, the A22 AMG, to the young and hip market segment, leading us to think that they’re going to spare no expense in using a fresh and aggressive design on the car, possibly even along the lines of a hatchback model with tons of LED running lights to boot. With the popularity of hatchbacks among the youth at an all time high these days, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to take the hatchback route for the A22 AMG. PerformanceAs we’ve previously mentioned, the Mercedes A22 AMG is going to be based on the 2012 Mercedes A-Class so we’re assuming that it’s going to have a high-grade, M271 EVO-based, AMG-modified four-cylinder engine that produces somewhere around 270 horsepower. The A22 AMG will also become the second AMG model to come with Mercedes’ new seven-speed DSG transmission, following in the tread-marks left behind by the almighty SLS AMG. Rendering of the Next A-Class  PricingNo word yet on the pricing of the car, but past models of the A-Class usually commanded a price tag of around $25,000. With AMG’s stamp on the A22, you can tack on another $10,000, so our best guesstimate is somewhere around $35,000 - $40,000. CompetitionAnother new premium hatchback that’s slowly catching the world’s attention these days is the Audi A1 and by extension, it’s more powerful variant, the S1. For the S1, Audi will be utilizing the same turbocharged 1.4-liter engine as the VW Polo GTi Cup Edition, where after a few Audi upgrades, could churn out an output of somewhere north of 200 horsepower. Mercedes still hasn’t released concrete specs on the A22 AMG, but we imagine it to be somewhere around the same playing field as that of the S1.  An affordable Mercedes/AMG if there ever was one
270 horsepower for a mid-size hatch
Mercedes’ target market is a sign that the A22 AMG will be a hip and happenin’
More questions than answers surrounding the A22 AMG
Given the market’s popularity, the A22 AMG faces a lot of competition
Don’t expect the full luxury treatment given to higher-class Mercedes models
3 comments: Mercedes-Benz A22 AMG Wow, knowing that Mercedes had already an affordable car now is really a great news ever. Although this one doesn’t have the quality of luxury that the other mercedes had, it was still quite okay.
 The car is the Mercedes A22 AMG and recently, some pretty interesting information regarding the future of this latest AMG Mercedes was leaked out.
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Posted on
09.13.2011 @ 04:02