2021 Mercedes-AMG GT73e plug-in hybrid teased, could develop over 600kW
Flagship 600kW-plus performance sedan teased alongside its F1-derived hybrid AMG peers.
The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT73e plug-in hybrid (PHEV) performance liftback has been teased, ahead of its expected unveiling later in 2021.
Previewed in stylised camouflage alongside the F1-derived AMG One hybrid hypercar and the Mercedes-AMG Formula One team's 2021 car, the upcoming GT 4-Door Coupe plug-in hybrid will be one of the brand's first models to fall under its 'E Performance' electrified sub-brand.
The GT PHEV – expected to be badged GT73e, given its electrified propulsion and positioning above the existing GT63 S – will look all-but-identical to its lesser non-hybrid sibling, differentiated only by 'E Performance' badging on the front quarter-panels, and a charging flap for the lithium-ion battery beside the rear licence plate.
While official mechanical details are thin on the ground, the 'V8 BITURBO' badge on the front quarter confirms the flagship liftback will resist the shift to four-cylinder hybrid power soon to fall upon the smaller C63 sports sedan.
British publication Autocar (print edition, 3 March 2021) reports the GT73 will pair its maker's venerable 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with a 150kW/363Nm electric motor on the rear axle to "at least match" the 600kW power figure claimed by the GT concept of 2017.
Torque is rumoured to fall in the neighbourhood of 1000Nm, while 0-100km/h sprint time and top speed figures of below 3.0 seconds and over 322km/h are reported.
The e-motor is said to form part of a new 'P3' plug-in hybrid system which, by integrating the electric motor into the rear axle rather than inside the gearbox, will reportedly be capable of "enhanced" torque vectoring in hybrid mode, an electric-only driving range of unknown distance and more efficient recuperation of energy under braking.
The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT73e – or, by its full name, the Mercedes-AMG GT73e 4Matic+ EQ Power+ 4-Door Coupe – will make its full debut in around six months' time (September), according to Autocar.
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