Mercedes-Benz AMG Sport models on the way

The number of AMG cars on Australian roads is set to double in less than three years as part of a global expansion plan.

But there is a catch, as the cars that are coming are not "real" AMG Benzes.

They will look tough, and deliver sharper driving, but will come without the signature V8 engines which put the real punch into the performance sub-brand of the world's oldest car maker.

The official name for the newcomers is AMG Sport and the first for Australia is the C450 AMG 4Matic, which will be priced from about $80,000.

They are serious AMG cars

Even though they are diluted from the pure-bred AMG models, such as the top selling C63 and the latest GT coupe, Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers denies they are just "AMG Light".

"No, these are not light cars. They are serious AMG cars," he says.

"We intend to keep the pedal to the metal and double our sales again over the next three years. Believe me, we've still got some interesting ideas in our minds. Stay tuned."

The C450 is not coming immediately, as a delay until 2016 means it can have the company's latest nine-speed automatic gearbox, even though this is not confirmed.

It brings more sportiness to the entire Mercedes brand

But the C450 will spearhead a Sports group that is intended to compete directly with the S-Line cars from Audi and the M Performance models at BMW.

"There was a gap. The pure-bred AMG models have been so far up there," says Mercedes-Benz's design boss, Gordon Wagener.

"It's actually great. It brings more sportiness to the entire Mercedes brand."

The first Sport engine, plugging into both the C450 and the GLE Coupe unveiled in Detroit, is a twin-turbo 3-litre V6 making 270kW and 520Nm of torque, with fuel economy from 7.6L/100km.

It has a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.9 seconds, significantly short of a full-house C63 AMG but still quicker than a BMW 335i M Sport.

Wagoner says enthusiasts will quickly pick the Sports cars from the fully-loaded AMG cars.

"AMG is now a unique sub-brand, and we want to bring it level with Porsche. The pure AMG cars always have this A-frame face and the twin-bar grille, and we push that even further with a new identity, but we are not there yet. The four-pipe signature in the rear is also unique."