According to some, they may very well be, but should it come as a surprise to anybody? Probably not, since the 918 pretty much set the benchmark on how to build a modern day hybrid supercar.
It was Motortrend which recently spoke to AMG’s CEO Tobias Moers during the Detroit Auto Show, asking him if they were planing a Porsche 918, McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari rival. Seems like instead of just saying no, as he did before, Moers replied by saying “We want to be seen by the public on the same level as the other sports car makers in Germany.”
Hmm, that is a very interesting answer, even if you do choose to read very little in between those lines. Moers added that AMG’s goal is to “Make race car technology street-legal” – which is most probably a hint at future models being even more track-oriented than before.
When asked about all-wheel drive technology, Moers acknowledged that their cars have a slight disadvantage with their layouts, because it’s rather difficult to make a front-engine car with a trans-axle AWD system, but we have seen Nissan do it with the GT-R.
The reason why we said that a Porsche 918 Spyder rival straight out the gates of AMG wouldn’t be a surprise is because once you’ve set a new benchmark in a category, other car manufacturers are sure to follow. Some may resist at first, or even delay because of brand philosophy, but you can’t fight progress forever, and you surely can’t fight Porsche, Ferrari or McLaren without a proper hybrid supercar.
During the interview, Moers also spoke about the direction they’re taking with the AMG-GT model, saying that there will be “No Gullwing out of the GT. That’s for sure” but that they are “protecting the Gullwing for the future” – which is very exciting news. The AMG-GT will follow the Porsche 911 as a role model (never a bad idea), with other versions still to come besides the GT-S and the Black Series.
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