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If you’ve been paying attention to what’s happening in the sportscar world over the past year, the fact that Mercedes is considering a hybrid AMG model will not surprise you. But the German company’s head of research and development Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber has revealed it could happen by the end of the decade.
In an interview with Autocar magazine, the official said “every car line has to reduce fuel consumption - even AMG."
Why even AMG? Because new European regulations coming into effect at the end of 2021 will take models like the AMG GT or S65 into account when calculating the fleet average emissions.
Of course, the general market is already headed in that direction, with Porsche rumored to be working on a hybrid or even electric version of the 911. Million-dollar hypercars with impossible performance numbers ensure the public is ready for green performance. But following the lead set by the Honda NSX, average sportscars will soon pack electric motors too.
In any case, recent reports suggest BMW will use a hybrid powertrain for the next M5, which will mean that AMG and RS divisions will have to follow their lead.
Weber said that the hybrid systems offered right now wouldn’t work because their customers “wouldn’t buy it”. For 2020, they’re looking for something compact and light to lower emissions, not a full-on PHEV system to turn a hooning experience into a science experiment.
But considering many of our readers call the Tesla Model S P85D a “supercar”, we wouldn’t be surprised to see an all-electric successor to the AMG GT. Whatever happened to that SLS E-Cell we were promised?
Why even AMG? Because new European regulations coming into effect at the end of 2021 will take models like the AMG GT or S65 into account when calculating the fleet average emissions.
Of course, the general market is already headed in that direction, with Porsche rumored to be working on a hybrid or even electric version of the 911. Million-dollar hypercars with impossible performance numbers ensure the public is ready for green performance. But following the lead set by the Honda NSX, average sportscars will soon pack electric motors too.
In any case, recent reports suggest BMW will use a hybrid powertrain for the next M5, which will mean that AMG and RS divisions will have to follow their lead.
Weber said that the hybrid systems offered right now wouldn’t work because their customers “wouldn’t buy it”. For 2020, they’re looking for something compact and light to lower emissions, not a full-on PHEV system to turn a hooning experience into a science experiment.
But considering many of our readers call the Tesla Model S P85D a “supercar”, we wouldn’t be surprised to see an all-electric successor to the AMG GT. Whatever happened to that SLS E-Cell we were promised?
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