And… it’s official: Mercedes-Benz confirmed today on the eve of the Paris Auto Show what has been circulating around the rumor mill for quite some time now, the development of its first ever AMG hypercar.

Daimler product development chief Thomas Weber broke the news during Mercedes-Benz Media Night event today.

“I’m very excited to officially confirm our next big thing at AMG is already in the pipeline,” said Weber. “We’re going to create an AMG performance hybrid featuring our Formula 1 drivetrain technology, with a league of AMG performance companies joining forces to create the most efficient and at the same time, the best performing and most spectacular AMG of all time. Some may even call it a hypercar.”

“No matter what you call it, it will definitely show how we’ll take our performance brand into the future with extremely efficient and intelligent drivetrain technology. Of course, as you can expect from us, there will be no compromises in terms of the emotional appeal of this car,” Weber concluded.

Merc’s current F107 Formula One hybrid racer employs a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine with a KERS energy-recovery system. The Daimler boss did not say if the AMG hypercar, which some believe could be called the R50, will keep the displacement of the F1 racer’s engine, but since motorsport restrictions don’t apply to road cars, we’ll likely see a bigger V6, delivering over 1,000 horses.

Mercedes also dropped a sketch outlining the shape of the upcoming AMG Hypercar that will be a joint project between AMG in Affalterbach, Germany, and the F1 powertrain team in Brixworth, Northampton, which build’s the firm’s F1 engines.

Featuring an F1-style carbonfibre monocoque frame, the AMG R50 will be Mercedes’ answer to the latest crop of hypercars, including Porsche’s 918 Spyder, the LaFerrari, McLaren’s P1 and even Aston Martin’s AM-RB 001.

It will be revealed next year, possibly at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The hypercar is one of at least 10 new cars that AMG plans to introduce in the near future.

“We will continue to expand our portfolio,” said Tobias Moers, chairman of the board of management Mercedes-AMG. “Starting this year, we will offer the widest model range in the entire performance segment. In fact, we will top our portfolio by at least 10 new cars. With that, we will offer a choice of no less than 48 different AMG performance cars.”

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