Mercedes A 45 AMG vs skateboarder: Who wins? [video]

What happens when the new 2014 Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG takes on a skateboarder on a steep and windy mountain pass in South Africa? Mercedes got a great video of the new A 45 AMG performance compact taking on not only the road, but another unlikely four-wheeled creation. Robbi Smith drives the A 45 AMG and takes on Decio Lourenco and his skateboard as the two allies tango at high-speed on the majestic Franschhoek Pass in the Western Capehey in South Africa.

One of Mercedes-Benz newest AMG’s travels to Franschhoek, one of South Africa’s oldest towns to film both man and machine in a beautiful setting. Although it’s new, the A 45 AMG performance compact is already known as the “epitome of performance, control and expression.” All essential attributes shared with extreme downhill skateboarding.

Mercedes-AMG has done it again by putting incredible power in a small compact production vehicle. Under the hood comes the most powerful series production four-cylinder engine in the world. AMG has taken their decades of experience and applied it to the new compact A-Series. The new A 45 AMG will inherit the corporate DNA and embody the AMG brand claim "Driving Performance."

This video shows the generation that will be buying the newest AMG. The new 2014 A 45 AMG takes the segment to another level and will appeal to the youngest AMG clientele to date. Mercedes will target predominantly urban buyers who are 30 to mid-40 age group with an agile high-performance vehicle. While skateboarders are generally younger, Mercedes is attracting a new buyer who has never purchased their vehicles before. We will see more marketing geared towards the millennial generation.

The A 45 AMG is all about performance. It features a 355 hp 2.0-liter turbo engine combined with the standard AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive that will lead to extreme performance. The performance compact accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, with a top speed of 250 km/h (electronically limited).

We don’t know who made the skateboard Decio Lourenco rides or have any specs, but it’s likely a longer maplewood board with a polyurethane coating. Lourenco is a professional as you will see, as he is wearing full boarding gear for the ultimate protection if he falls at these speeds.

See what happens when the world's most powerful four-cylinder production engine in the 2014 Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG takes on the challenging Franschhoek Pass in the Western Capehey and Decio Lourenco on his skateboard. Both are thoroughbreds through and through.

Watch Silver Slipstreams - Mercedes-Benz South Africa video.