The new Mercedes-AMG GT73e 4Matic+ EQ Power+ 4-Door Coupé will pack “more than 800bhp” in a bid to position it at the top of the four-door sports car ranks when it hits UK showrooms this year.
The range-topping performance saloon will be the first in a series of new plug-in hybrid Mercedes-AMG models to feature what is known within the firm as a “P3 plug-in hybrid” system, which should enable the GT73e to cover 0-62mph in less than 3.0sec and exceed 200mph. The new flagship model will rival the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid and command a premium over the current, non-electrified GT63 – with prices likely to start upwards of £150,000.
As well as representing the beginning of a new electrified era for AMG, the GT73e could also serve as a spiritual successor to the company’s debut model: the outlandish 300CE Hammer super-saloon, which cemented AMG’s reputation for endowing big saloons with supercar pace.
The GT73e’s new P3 plug-in hybrid system uses an electric motor integrated into the rear axle to provide what is described as a “significant” performance boost to the petrol engine, a mildly updated version of the GT63’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, combined with a fully variable four-wheel drive system.
In addition to the GT73e, the P3 PHEV system is set to be used by new 73-badged versions of the latest S-Class and upcoming SL grand tourer. It will also underpin the petrol-electric successor to the C63 4Matic, although, as first reported by Autocar, it will be used in combination with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, rather than a large-capacity V8.
The P3 PHEV layout will initially be reserved exclusively for Mercedes-AMG models. All existing PHEVs from parent company Mercedes-Benz use the P2 PHEV system, which sites the electric motor within the gearbox housing – a layout also used on the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
The new GT73e’s P3 PHEV system provides scope for a larger electric motor than is possible within the packaging constraints of the P2 system, offering direct drive to the rear wheels in pure-electric mode and enhanced torque vectoring in hybrid mode.
Additionally, this means the electric motor’s torque is not capped by the limitations of the gearbox. It also provides the basis for improved front-to-rear weight distribution and allows significantly more efficient energy recuperation as there are no mechanical losses from the gearbox. Kinetic electricity harvested during braking and periods of trailing throttle is fed straight back into the battery.
AMG sources have revealed to Autocar that the GT73e’s electric motor will have up to 201bhp and 268lb ft. Reports suggest it shares key parts with the ZF-produced ‘M0’ asynchronous electric motor used in the pure-electric Mercedes-Benz EQC and EQV.
The motor’s reserves are combined with the GT73e’s petrol engine, which in its GT63 S 4-Door Coupé tune kicks out 639bhp and 664lb ft, to deliver what Autocar has been told are “previously unattained levels of power and torque” for a road-going four-door AMG model.