Mercedes-AMG A35L Revealed With Extra Length, Same Power

It was almost a year ago when Mercedes unveiled the A-Class Sedan in long-wheelbase form for the Chinese market at the Beijing Motor Show. Today, at the alternating Auto Shanghai 2019, the three-pointed star is launching the AMG A35 derivative to follow the international version presented only a few weeks ago.

As it's the case with the non-AMG model, the China-exclusive A35L has a wheelbase stretching at 109.8 inches (2789 millimeters) or 2.36 inches (60 mm) longer than that of the regular A-Class Sedan / A35 Sedan. That obviously translates into more legroom for rear passengers in the same vein as the C-Class and E-Class sedans and even the GLC crossover have a longer wheelbase in the People's Republic.

Much like the regular A35, the stretched variant is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine with 302 horsepower (225 kilowatts) and 400 Newton-meters (295 pound-feet) of torque. Output is channeled to the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system exclusively through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

In terms of performance, the Mercedes-AMG A35L needs only 4.9 seconds to complete the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) sprint and can hit an electronically capped top speed of 155 mph (250 kph).

The AMG version will be built in China through Daimler's local joint venture with BAIC, while the powerful engine is going to be sourced from the factory in Kölleda, Germany. The non-AMG model is also built in China for China by BAIC, with other models including the C-Class in standard and long-wheelbase guises, the E-Class L, as well as the GLA and GLC crossovers.

The joint venture with BAIC represents Mercedes' biggest plant in the world for passenger cars in terms of production figures and it's the only Mercedes factory to assemble both front- and rear-wheel-drive cars and engines at a single site.