It’s no secret that Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division is churning out some great stuff. Sure, you could argue the brand is diluting itself by making more and more models, but it’s selling more cars than ever, and it has a fantastic sports car in the AMG GT S pictured above. Now it seems to want another standalone car like the GT, and rumor has it that it’s going to be a mid-engine hybrid supercar.
Well, if U.K. publication Autocar is to be believed. The outlet says that Mercedes-AMG’s next car will be inspired by its dominant F1 car and will be a competitor to the Ferrari 488 GTB, McLaren 650S, and other high-end supercars. According to Autocar, it’s possible this car could use a carbon-fiber structure and a hybrid V-6 powerplant mounted behind the driver. “My personal thinking is that we are now at a level where we could support another dedicated AMG model,” Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers told Autocar. “The car would be totally different to the GT.”
Moers didn’t elaborate any further, but Autocar cites an anonymous source who revealed a bit more: “We have the most energy-dense hybrid pack in existence,” said Autocar’s source, referring to the hybrid system in its F1 cars. “It would make a great deal of sense to harness that technology for the road.”
While the front-engine GT followed the SLS AMG, that gullwinged car was more expensive and competed at the higher end of the sports-car spectrum, a segment which has only grown more competitive since the SLS ended production. Mercedes is said to want a true successor to the SLS AMG, and with the success of its F1 team over the last two seasons, it would be silly for AMG not to capitalize on its success in a more meaningful way. Meanwhile, more versions of the AMG GT are in the pipeline, including the faster AMG GT R and an eventual roadster. Autocar reports that Moers wants to build a GT4 racer as a companion for the GT3 race car we drove last month.
But don’t get too excited yet, because if this car happens, it won’t be for a few more years. That said, AMG is certainly in the position to bring a new supercar to the market and judging by the GT S, it could be a very good one.
This story originally appeared on Road & Track.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1VOEduk
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment