German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz will push for the growth of its high performance sub-brand Mercedes-AMG in Korea, increasing its AMG line-up to 40 vehicles by 2020 from the current 13.

Behind the big push is a steep increase in sales of AMG cars.

AMG cars, which typically have a more aggressive look and a higher level of performance than other Benzes, compete with BMW’s M vehicles and Audi’s S and RS models. Mercedes, however, has the widest product line-up, ranging from two-door coupes, sedans to SUVs in different segments.

“Sales of AMG cars jumped more than 100 percent (in the first seven months) from the same period last year,” Choi Duk-jun, vice president of sales at Mercedes-Benz Korea, said during the driving experience event for AMG cars, held in the Yongin Speedway, Gyeonggi Province, last week.

That means sales growth this year is even higher than the 73 percent growth the firm reported in 2014. 

Excited about the growing demand for its high performance cars here, the German carmaker has added the latest AMG model in each segment since the beginning of the year.

It introduced the compact AMG car -- A45 AMG 4Matic -- in February this year, targeting young buyers. The entry AMG model, priced at 65 million won ($54,000), boasts 360 horsepower and can accelerate from zero to 100 kph in 4.6 seconds.

The carmaker debuted the new Mercedes-AMG GT S Edition 1, the fastest AMG car with a price tag of 219 million won, in July. The luxury two-door sports car proves the fact that AMG’s DNA comes from motor sports. Powered by 4.0-litre biturbo V8 engine, the super car can reach to 100 kph from zero in 3.8 seconds. Its top speed is 310 kph.

Next month, it will also launch its best-selling AMG models -- the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 sedan and the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 S -- as its 14th and 15th AMG models in Korea. The prices of both models exceed 100 million won.

“The company has high hopes for the C-Class AMG models regarding its 2015 performance car sales,” Choi said.

As part of its marketing efforts for AMG, Mercedes-Benz will offer test drives to 1,000 existing and prospective customers, which will include an introductory session of the AMG brand, including its 45-year history and its future vision.

“The brand mission of Mercedes-AMG is to become the most successful performance and motor sports car brand by 2020,” said Oliver Britz, head of product management at Mercedes-Benz Korea.

He also pitched three points to make AMG cars special.

“First of all, what makes AMG models different from others is craftsmanship, better known as the ‘one man, one engine’ philosophy,” he said.

Every single AMG engine has been handcrafted by one master mechanic from the birth of the company in 1967, which has raised the reliability of the brand.

AMG cars prioritize driving performance. For this goal, they also offer sporty designs, powerful engine sounds and first-class materials to give drivers a feeling of good quality and powerful performance, he added.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)