The Mercedes-AMG GT Concept car is the beginning of a new era of hybrid performance cars from the German manufacturer.
Mercedes-AMG has lifted the wraps off its four-door fastback version of the GT, the GT Concept, which showcases the design and technology direction of performance cars to come from the high performance division in Affalterbach.
It features a hybrid electric-petrol and all-wheel drive layout which is a departure from the traditional petrol and rear-wheel drive currently used. But Mercedes-AMG claims its potential output of 600kW and a new 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system seen in the new AMG E63 S will propel the Porsche Panamera rival from 0-100km/h in under 3.0sec.
The petrol-electric technology in the Concept GT has trickled down from Mercedes-Benz’s experience in developing the hybrid powerpack system used in the Petronas AMG F1 car.
“With the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept, we are giving a preview of our third completely independently developed sports car and are extending the attractive AMG GT family to include a four-door variant,” said Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
“The AMG GT Concept, like the AMG Hypercar, which we are presenting at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, illustrates how we are defining performance of the future at AMG. Impressive driving dynamics coupled with high efficiency, resulting from an innovative drive system tailored specifically to the vehicle segment – that is ‘Future Performance’ made by AMG. With our AMG GT Concept, that means a combination of an ultra-modern V8 gasoline engine and a high-performance electric motor, both intelligently networked with an extremely powerful yet lightweight battery concept. This performance hybrid powertrain offers an impressive electric range and the opportunity to generate a system output of up to 805 horsepower in its last level of development, and covers the sprint from 0-60 mph in less than three seconds – which corresponds to the performance of a super sports car.”
It heralds a new era of performance hybrid cars that we’ll see here in Australia under a new EQ Power+ badge designation. The system in the GT Concept utilises a hand-built 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 up-front powering all-four wheels and an additional electric motor is able to provide a power boost to the rear-axle. The rear-drive power boost will increase output to around 600kW and ensure oversteer characteristics of previous models remain.
The electric motor will also have the ability to drive the car exclusively, lowering emissions for a currently undisclosed distance. However Mercedes-AMG claims the battery is lighter and more powerful than conventional hybrid systems and should provide improved performance seen in current systems.
The exterior features long swooping muscular lines headed by the signature Panamericana grille, slim headlights and a carbon fibre diffuser. The side mirrors have been replaced with cameras on either side and the headlights are powered by new nano active fibre technology.
