Mercedes-AMG: Hybrid technology being pushed hard for new models
'The downside is weight, but the other perspectives are much brighter' - Tobias Moers
Electrification is inevitable and, while it's a big departure from traditional performance vehicles, the head of AMG is excited for the future of electrification.
Speaking with CarAdvice at the 2018 Paris motor show, Tobias Moers, the chairman of the management board of Mercedes-AMG said that he's also working hard to bring that future nearer.
"I'm pushing that quite hard. I'm excited. The downside is weight, but the other perspectives are much brighter. I'm pushing that," said Moers.
"You have better weight distribution, because you generally have batteries in the rear. In a performance hybrid, the batteries are not necessarily on the floor. So you have to find different places for batteries. But for performance hybrids, like the concept GT we shared in Geneva – that's a good balance between everything."
"You can drive the car by the battery, you can drive in combination, which for a GT is more than 800 horses and you can run it on a highway and an Autobahn with a combustion engine at low revs, which is the most efficient way. I'm really excited by this technology," said Moers.
The traditional AMG of yesteryear that just relied on power, power and more power, will rely on a balance of internal combustion and electrification to deliver an engaging drive going forward.
In fact the ball is already rolling, with Moers admitting that engineering prototypes are already out on the roads.
"Prototypes are running, and it's really cool to experience what we can get out of the technology," Moers said.
Do you think that electrification with help or hinder the drive experience of future performance vehicles?
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