Mercedes-AMG has confirmed its next electric flagship sedan will adopt the GT 4-Door Coupe name, as it prepares to lose its twin-turbo V8 engine.
Set to become the production version of the GT XX concept – which AMG CEO Michael Schiebe told Motor1 was labelled by one board member as “the best V8 we have ever developed” – the new GT 4-Door Coupe has only had its name and interior revealed, but already has great expectations.
The car it’s replacing is powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain, mating a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine with an electric motor, producing up to 620kW and 1400Nm, delivered to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission.
While Mercedes-AMG hasn’t provided any details about the upcoming EV’s powertrain, it’s likely to far exceed its predecessor’s capabilities, with the GT XX concept it’s based on being powered by three axial flux motors – capable of producing almost 745kW.
On top of this, the GT XX broke more than two dozen distance records last year, with 17 drivers driving two examples a total of 40,075km – or around the world – in seven days, 13 hours, 24 minutes and seven seconds.
Both the concept car and the upcoming production EV are underpinned by a new platform, AMG.EA, exclusive to Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
We’ll have to wait until later to find out about its technical details, but for now we can see what drivers and other occupants will be looking at in the cabin.
Unlike some of Mercedes-Benz’s other flagship EVs, the upcoming AMG GT 4-Door Coupe doesn’t feature a single screen spanning the width of the dashboard. Instead, the 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and 14.0-inch infotainment touchscreen are in separate displays, while there will be an optional 14.0-inch screen for passengers.
According to AMG, a new ‘AMG Race Engineer’ drive mode control allows drivers to adjust three characteristics of the car. ‘Response control’ changes the sharpness of the accelerator pedal, ‘agility control’ tweaks the stability control system, and traction control adjusts how much wheel slip there can be under power.
While the standard front seats are already designed to “offer high lateral support during dynamic cornering”, an optional set of AMG Performance seats provide even greater body-hugging ability.
Importantly, AMG hasn’t ditched physical controls in the cabin, at least on the steering wheel where roller and rocker switches feature.
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