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NEWS
AMG rules out hypercar
Mercedes-AMG says no to LaFerrari-rivalling hypercar, hybrid and AMG versions of upcoming GLA and GLKMercedes-AMG’s development head Tobias Moers has ruled out a ‘hypercar’ to rival the likes of Porsche’s 918 Spyder, McLaren’s P1 and LaFerrari.
In Australia for the first time to take part in media and customer events around the new SLS AMG Black Series, Moers also ruled out a hybrid-powered AMG model – at least in the “mid-term” – and AMG versions of Mercedes’ upcoming GLA and GLK crossovers.
AMG’s global vehicle development chief was unequivocal in his response to recent reports that Mercedes-Benz will replace the three-year old SLS with two separate models in 2015 based on the same new aluminium spaceframe: a smaller coupe to rival Porsche’s 911 and fill the company’s coupe void beneath the SLS, and a larger, more expensive sub-three-second 0-100km/h hypercar.
“[There will be] No hypercar from AMG – not at all,” he said, suggesting that it would be difficult to establish a business case for a million-dollar model without the brand cachet of Ferrari.
“We have the same situation we had 10 years ago when the SLR came up ... hypercars is a segment that is okay for Ferrari.
“Ferrari in the hyper-car segment is still a different brand than AMG. We have to be honest.”
However, Moers did confirm there would be a successor for Mercedes-AMG’s current flagship, the SLS, and did not rule out the existence of space for a smaller supercar in the AMG line-up.
“You’re not wrong ... maybe. There are [lots] of rumours. What I can confirm today is that the SLS is not a single-shoot story. It’s not SLS runs for four years then no super-sports car from AMG.”
Moers also kyboshed the idea of AMG offering hybrid power primarily because of its associated cost and weight disadvantages, at least in the “mid-term future” – hypercar or no hypercar.
Instead, in line with AMG’s “systematic reduction of vehicle weight in future” as part of its ‘AMG Lightweight Performance’, Moers said AMG could meet its fleet-average CO2 emissions goal of 200g/km by 2017 via weight reduction and further refinement of the internal combustion engine.
“We know there is a little bit more room to move with combustion [engine] technology in our segments.”
“We’ve changed AMG philosophy in the last ten years a lot. We see the [SLS] Black Series, it’s the first output of our strategy we started three years ago, for performance components and lightweight structures.
“You will see more results of that, and the combination and improvement of combustion engine technology and light weight.”
AMG currently has 22 models but has committed to expanding that to 30 by its 50th anniversary in 2017, as part of the ‘AMG Performance 50’ growth strategy that also calls for a global annual sales increase from 20,000 to 30,000.
This year’s A 45 AMG will be one of those additional models and AMG has also confirmed it will offer a high-performance turbocharged all-wheel drive version of the upcoming CLA compact sedan.
However, Moers ruled out AMG versions of the GLA small SUV, which will be revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in September, and next year’s redesigned GLK mid-size SUV, both of which will be produced in right-hand drive form for Australia.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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