Mercedes-Benz South Africa has finally officially launched the 310 kW Mercedes-AMG A45 S and CLA45 S.

The A45 S is now priced from R1 113 840 (before extras, and enough to make it South Africa’s most expensive hatchback after a few price hikes ahead of its launch), while the CLA45 S starts at R1 223 479.

As a reminder, these compact performance models each employ a turbocharged 2,0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine offering a whopping 310 kW and 500 N.m to all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

That’s enough, says the Affalterbach-based performance division, for a sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in 3,9 seconds in the case of the apex A-Class and 4,0 seconds in the case of the hottest CLA. Both top out at 270 km/h.

“South Africans love the AMG brand. In fact, it’s the third biggest market in the world. With the presentation of this, our most powerful and most dynamic compact sports car, we are also reinforcing the significance of this segment for our growth strategy,” said Selvin Govender, marketing director for Mercedes Benz Cars South Africa.

Original article from Car