Mercedes Performance Car Sales May Double Through 2017

Daimler's Mercedes-AMG performance cars division aims to more than double vehicle sales over the next three years as it pushes expansion into compact cars, a senior executive said.

Deliveries at AMG swelled to 32,200 cars in 2013 on demand for souped-up versions of Mercedes regular models, including the introduction last year of the 49,980 euro ($62,335) A 45 AMG hatchback, its first compact. AMG sales may jump by more than a quarter to more than 40,000 vehicles this year alone, especially due to demand from the United States and China, division Chief Tobias Moers said on Thursday.

The world's third-largest luxury-car manufacturer has boosted auto sales to a new record this year, benefiting from a spate of redesigned models. The AMG unit's high-performance cars, including Mercedes's top-of-the-line GT model unveiled in September, cast a halo effect on the rest of the lineup, helping Mercedes compete with rivals BMW and Audi at the high end of the luxury market, analysts say.

AMG, whose CLA 45 baby saloon will hit dealerships early next year, plans to build nine high-performance versions of at least 11 Mercedes-badged new models through 2020, Moers said at an event near Stuttgart.

The division may team up with MV Agusta after parent Daimler last month announced plans to buy a 25 percent stake in the Italian motorcycle maker.