AMG’s first plug-in hybrid is previewed as Mercedes ramps up for plethora of motor show unveilings.
Mercedes-AMG has previewed the new plug-in hybrid version of its GT63 4-door Coupé ahead of its public debut at the Munich Motor Show.
The front end of the firm’s new range-topping performance sedan was pictured on social media along with the confirmation that it will be unwrapped in full on 1 September, just before the show.
The ‘GT73e’ is will be the first in a series of new plug-in hybrid Mercedes-AMG models. It will be driven by an uprated version of the GT63’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, mated to an electric motor which is said to provide a “significant” performance boost.
AMG sources previously told us that the GT73e’s electric motor alone will offer up to 150kW and 363Nm, for a total output figure of over 597kW.
The engine, which produces 477kW and 900Nm in the GT63 S 4-Door Coupé, is said to offer “previously unattained levels of power and torque” for a road-going four-door AMG model in its electrified form.
The model will serve as a rival to the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid and command a premium over the current, non-electrified GT63.
It will also be a spiritual successor to the AMG’s debut model, the 300CE Hammer, which helped build AMG’s reputation as a builder of uprated large saloon cars with supercar pace.
The model’s P3 PHEV system will also be used by top-rung versions of the latest S-Class and upcoming SL grand tourer, as well as underpinning the petrol-electric successor to the C63 4Matic, where it will be used in combination with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, rather than a large-capacity V8.
Felix Page