AMG X-Class tricky, but not completely ruled out

Mercedes might have shut the door on an AMG-stamped version of its X-Class, but there still remains a glimmer of hope on the horizon, with the brand's performance boss telling CarsGuide “maybe in the future”.

In news that will surely break the hearts of performance ute fans everywhere, AMG boss Tobias Moers also confirmed that he had originally thought about giving the X-Class the go-fast treatment immediately, but changed his plans owing to the ute being based on another manufacturer’s product in the Nissan Navara.

While Ford has confirmed a hi-po Raptor version of its Ranger and HSV has announced plans to tweak a Holden Colorado, neither will feature an eight-cylinder engine. And the V8-sized hole in the Australian performance ute market is unlikely to be filled anytime soon, with Moers conceding any movement on an AMG model would be at least two years away.

“We had started to think about it, but then we recognised no, we’re not going to do that, there’ll be no AMG version of the X-Class. But I know there is a high market potential in Australia, but that’s it so far,” he said.

“It is a co-operation with Nissan, everyone knows that, and that's not easy. The team in Affalterbach is really at the edge and pushing hard every day. The collaboration with Nissan makes it more complicated in terms of processes, so it’s not easy for us to handle now.

“We are really strong when it comes to us, and we work together with planning and R&D with Mercedes, and that’s easy for us because we know the shortcuts, and who we have to talk to and things like that.

“To add something with the complexity of this, it needs really a big effort. We have to think about. But there’s no chance for us to do it in the next two to three years.”

Australia remains one of the world's strongest per-capita AMG markets, and locally, Mercedes Vans has made no secret of their desire for an AMG-stamped version of the X-Class, with local boss Diane Tarr saying she had made her German colleagues aware of the demand for a go-fast ute here. 

"We won't be bringing in an AMG at this point in time but naturally our headquarter's colleagues are very away of the AMG status and demand," she said at the car’s rolling reveal in July.

"And for us, let's bring our product into the market, let's consider it, let's get the customer feedback and certainly we will continue to have conversations with headquarters colleagues around an opportunity that may or may not arise."

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