.
Called the AMG GT Concept, this show car
previews a four-door performance sedan to join the GT coupe and convertible.
It's much more impressive than simply
stretching the sports car's wheelbase and adding an extra couple of doors.
Maybach may have been relegated from its own brand
into a model designator, but all the while Mercedes-AMG is transforming into a
performance automaker in its own right. It developed and produced the SLS AMG in-house,
and did the same with the AMG GT. And now it's revealed its third at the Geneva
Motor Show.
Bearing the new EQ Power+ designation introduced on
the W08 F1 car, the AMG GT Concept incorporates a performance hybrid powertrain
packing one heck of a punch. It's built around the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8
as the existing two-door model, but adds an electric motor to deliver over 800
horsepower.
That's significantly more than even the 671 hp that
Porsche mustered from its new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, and puts this concept
closer to the territory of the 918 Spyder. The shocking result is a 0-100 time
quoted at under three seconds – a performance level which AMG chief Tobias
Moers rightly points out “corresponds to a super sports car level.”
The slick concept also incorporates adaptive
aerodynamics, a new type of “nano active fiber” daytime running lights, and
carbon-ceramic brakes (with energy recuperation).
Daimler says it intends to build just such a vehicle, though it'll undoubtedly
change some on the way from the show stand to the showroom. And as if that's not
enough for AMG to chew on, it's set to reveal its F1-derived hypercar concept
at the Frankfurt show half a year from now.
