The least-expensive high-performance Mercedes quietly left the U.S. market. The Mercedes-AMG A 35 has disappeared from the automaker’s website. A Mercedes spokesperson confirms, “The A 35 will not be offered in the U.S. market” for model year 2022. It will still be manufactured for European buyers, but we’ve had our last taste of it here.
The A 35 is a version of Mercedes’ entry-level luxury car, the A-Class, tuned by in-house performance shop AMG. For 2021, it carries a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine making 302 horsepower and known for its glorious snarling sound on hard acceleration. All-wheel-drive in a small sedan platform makes for tremendous grip, and lively suspension tuning makes it fun even at low-speed cornering.
If you can find one, they start at $45,850, plus a $1,050 destination charge.
But AMG models rarely sit on Mercedes dealer lots. They’re mostly special-order affairs. The cancelation means that if you’re in the market for an AMG A 35, you need to get to a Mercedes dealership quickly and see if they can still track one down. It may not be possible.
The move leaves the Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 as the least-expensive AMG product still available to Americans. It uses the same engine and transmission but in the SUV format of the Mercedes-Benz GLA Class. The GLA 35 starts at $47,550, plus that same $1,050 destination fee.
We should also note that the A 35’s most natural rival – the BMW M2 – is also off the market for 2022. The BMW 2 Series is all-new for 2022, and the automaker’s famed M division hasn’t released its take on the model yet. We expect a 2023 M2 and will bring news of it when BMW gives us something to report.
