2013 Los Angeles Auto Show: Mercedes-Benz’s high-performance AMG dominates

Story by John LeBlanc LOS ANGELES - Germany's Mercedes-Benz knows its AMG models are popular rides on the West Coast. So it was no surprise debuts from the automaker's high-performance division dominated in L.A. this year: Mercedes-Benz Concept GLA 45 AMG You can pretty much drop the “Concept” tag from the Mercedes-Benz Concept GLA 45 AMG’s moniker. If the high-performance version of the ‘Benz cute-ute doesn’t go on-sale at some point, I’ll eat my lederhosen. Combining the body of the forthcoming GLA compact crossover, the 365-horsepower, 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine and the AMG Performance 4MATIC all-wheel-drive powertrain from the CLA 45 AMG compact sedan, the Concept GLA 45 AMG brings a dose of sportiness to a usually utilitarian class. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final Edition If you’ve been saving up your loonies for Mercedes-Benz’s V8 super sports car, the aptly named SLS AMG GT Final Edition will be one of your last opportunities to buy one. As Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH said, “As the first car to be completely developed by AMG, the SLS AMG marked the beginning of a new era for our company.” Available as both a Gullwing Coupe and open-top Roadster, only 350 examples of the 591 horsepower SLS AMG GT Final Edition will be available, starting next March. Once all have been sold, that’s it. Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG Not going away anytime soon is the new Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, the highest-performing version of this year’s all-new S-Class full-size sedan is overkill taken to the extreme. With twelve cylinders and a pair of turbos, the new S 65 AMG makes a thunderous 630 horsepower and 737 lb.-ft. of torque. As such, the near-limo can scoot from rest to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds, and tops out (on a track, of course!) at an electronically limited 250 km/h. Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo Possibly hinting at a production sports car that might replace the SLS AMG, the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo is what the German automaker is calling a “virtual concept.” Designed for the new PlayStation game console racing game Gran Turismo 6, the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo sports a theoretical 585 hp. While a static, 1:1-scale model appears on the Mercedes-Benz booth here at the show, the sports car can be virtually driven in Gran Turismo 6 on a PlayStation here as well.

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