This is claimed to play a crucial role in the dynamic behaviour of the new CLA 45 4Matic+, allowing it to direct power to each individual wheel for more predictable cornering characteristics. It also provides scope for AMG to alter the handling, offering either more front-driven or rear-driven properties depending on the driving mode. As with the current model, a drift mode is also planned.
Nothing is official just yet, but Autocar has been told that the most powerful versions of Mercedes-AMG’s future compact car line-up will offer more than 500bhp and significantly more torque than today’s CLA 45 4Matic+, which has an electronically turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 416bhp and 369lb ft.
In a bid to provide its new electric models with the aural qualities to match their performance, AMG is also working on a new range of synthetic sounds, including a so-called ‘V8 Mode’, which is designed to replicate the roar of AMG’s traditional V8 petrol engines.
In addition to axial-flux motor technology, AMG is planning to equip its future electric models with an oil-cooled battery that features unique cylindrical cells and chemistry for greater energy density than the batteries used in standard Mercedes-Benz electric models.
The new battery will be paired with the next-generation inverter, heat pump and brake energy recuperation technology launched on standard versions of the new CLA.
Other developments planned for the new CLA 45 4Matic+ include an active aerodynamics package with an electrohydraulic rear wing integrated into the trailing edge of the bootlid. As well as providing additional downforce at higher speeds, it has also been conceived to act as an air brake with a tilting function in its most advanced form – as suggested by the prominent bootlid bulge under the camouflage of recently spotted prototypes.
Whether this latter functionality will feature on the range-topping CLA model, however, remains to be seen.
