Simply called the AMG GT Concept, this show car previews a four-door performance sedan to join the GT coupe and convertible.
But as a technological showcase, 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 0-62 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) – all in a sleek package that reminds us how Mercedes virtually pioneered the four-door coupe craze with the introduction of the CLS back in 2004.
What’s more is that this isn’t just a concept: 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.
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