It seems that for years BMW M didn't have a serious, fellow countryman rival that kept it up late at night worrying. Sure, Mercedes' AMG division and Audi Quattro were always formidable, but M clearly owned the German high-performance luxury segment. After all, it literally invented the segment in the late 1970s. Today, however, Mercedes-AMG is no longer willing to settle for second best; it's planning a fully-fledged blitzkrieg of firepower against its domestic rival.

Top Gear has uncovered Mercedes-AMG's near-future ambitions and, assuming all goes to plan, BMW M should be concerned. Here's why: a "more or less road-going version of the AMG GT3" was recently spotted testing and is heading to production. Total output should be at least 550 hp. What's more, the GT3 is just the start. Work has already begun on a hybrid/electric AMG GT as well as a track-only GT4 racer. A street legal Black Series GT is also on the docket, but it's still a few years away. There'll probably be a new C63 AMG Black Series as well, but don't expect it to share the Black Series GT's engine; AMG wants to keep the latter ultra-exclusive.

A refreshed A45 AMG is also on the way with even more power from its turbocharged 2.0 four banger, say around 355 hp. The SLK 55 AMG has been penciled in for a complete makeover because it's considered the weakest of the AMG lineup. However, no SLS AMG gullwing replacement is planned for now. Why? The AMG GT needs its time to shine and used SLS prices are increasing; why do anything to harm that? So, will this be enough to take on BMW M? Whatever you may think, it's an excellent start.