New four-door Mercedes-AMG GT concept unveiled

The Mercedes-AMG GT concept has been revealed, previewing an upcoming 800hp-plus petrol-electric hybrid-powered production model.

Unveiled at the Geneva motor show, the uniquely styled four-seater has been conceived to complement the company’s existing two-seat GT sportscar. Tobias Moers, chairman of AMG, stated there will be an expanded range of dedicated AMG models to be offered alongside traditional performance variants of standard Mercedes-Benz models in future years.

“With the GT concept, we are giving a preview of our third completely autonomously developed sportscar, extending the AMG family to include a four-door variant,” says Moers.

The low-slung GT concept, whose unveiling was part of AMG’s 50th anniversary celebrations, draws various styling cues from AMG’s two-year-old GT sportscar, most notably its so-called Panamericana grille and thin, horizontally positioned LED tail-lamps. They are combined with a new design lineage that is claimed to provide a glimpse of how the exterior styling of Mercedes-Benz’s future production models is planned to progress.

But, while the GT sportscar sits on its own unique aluminium platform structure, the production version of the GT concept has been conceived around a specially modified version of Mercedes-Benz’s MRA platform as found beneath the latest C- and E-class, and set to be adopted by the next CLS and a new S-class due in 2020.

Hybrid powertrain

At the heart of the new fastback concept that previews AMG’s second dedicated production model is a new petrol-electric hybrid driveline, developed in partnership with the German carmaker’s High Performance Production division. It also bears the name of the newly created electric car division through its EQ Power designation.

The hybrid unit combines AMG’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine with an electric motor to deliver a combined system output which Moers puts at “up to 600kW”. This equates to 805hhp, topping the output of the most powerful of AMG’s existing models, the GT R, by a stunning 228hhp.

AMG says the GT concept’s electric motor is networked with a combination of extremely light batteries that sees it deliver “an impressive electric range” together with a claimed 0-100kph time of “under 3.0sec”. The operating strategy of the new petrol-electric powerplant has been derived from the hybrid unit used by the Mercedes-Benz F1 team, with the battery charged whilst the car is being driven, both through brake energy recuperation and the aid of the combustion engine.

The production version of the GT concept is also planned to be offered exclusively with a further developed version of AMG’s 4Matic+ four-wheel drive system, offering torque vectoring on each wheel together with an integrated drift mode function. Power from the electric motor provides direct drive to the rear wheels. As well as providing primary power in electric mode, it also acts as a booster to complement the reserves of the combustion engine.    

The new Mercedes-Benz model which goes under the internal codename X290 but is otherwise referred to by AMG insiders as the GT4, is planned to indirectly replace the CLS Shooting Brake, which officials confirm will be discontinued when the third-generation CLS is revealed later this year. Among the key rivals for the new AMG model will be the new second-generation Audi A7, BMW 6-series GranCoupe and Porsche Panamera.

The new family-friendly AMG performance model, which stretches to almost 197 inches in length, is set to arrive in showrooms about a year after the first deliveries of the company’s range-topping 750kW-plus, F1-inspired, hybrid-powered hypercar.

Take a look at the other cars present at the Geneva motor show 2017 in our image gallery.