In case there was any doubt that demand for big-displacement, high-output machines continues unabated in the face of calls for environmentally-conscious hybrids and a faltering global economy, Mercedes has announced an ambitious expansion of its AMG performance division. Over the course of the next year, AMG will open a whopping 175 new "performance centers" catering to power-mad consumers around the world.

The new outlets will allow an increased level of involvement for AMG customers as Mercedes moves to distinguish the tuning house's offerings as their own brand. Each outlet will be outfitted with matching décor and whatnot, but more importantly, will offer customers a direct line to AMG's performance Mecca in Affalterbach, Germany, and act as a local home base for the AMG Performance Roadshow. The expansion will focus on 15 key markets, including the United States, Japan, China, and of course, its home market of Germany. As if customers needed any more coercion to fall for a fire-breathing Teutonic masterpiece of engineering. Hit the jump for the details.

Stand anywhere near where an AMG Mercedes is driving and you'd have to be deaf not to hear it. But Mercedes-Benz is convinced that too few potential customers have heard of its performance range, so it's launching an awareness campaign around the United States that seeks to raise the profile of its top shelf performance models.

The project involves the establishment of AMG Performance Centers, a focused advertising campaign and a product-demonstration road show. An initial pilot project will involve seven dealers in California, Florida and New York, but by the end of the year, Mercedes expects that its top 30 dealerships – representing 80% of AMG sales in the US – will sign on to the program. Mercedes will subsidize dealerships on the cost of setting up separate AMG areas within their dealerships and training service personnel, as well as bringing the road show to town, which will demonstrate limited edition AMG models – we're thinking Black Series here – to select customers.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req'd]

Owners of a Mercedes-Benz AMG model who have access to the brand's Private Lounge website have been notified that a mystery model from AMG will make its world debut at the New York Auto Show in a couple of weeks. The only hint as to what model it might be are a few detail pics and a profile shot of the car cloaked in a sheet. As for what model it could be, World Car Fans suggests that it's likely the AMG C 63, the high-performance version of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class that was only officially debuted earlier this month in Geneva. We tend to agree, although the profile shot shows the contour of a door handle that belongs to the front passenger door, but not a corresponding handle for the rear passenger door. All questions will be answered in early April when we're on hand as the cover's pulled.

[Source: World Car Fans]