If you're Mercedes, how do you follow up the SLS AMG and AMG GT coupes? With this GT Concept, which, as exec Tobias Moers says, is Mercedes "giving a preview of our third completely independently developed sports car." Like so many other current high-performance vehicles, it combines a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine with an electric motor and battery to produce a max of 805HP. More importantly, it could signal a halo model pushing the company's hybrid aspirations in a manner similar to the BMW i8.
Gallery: Mercedes-AMG GT Concept | 15 Photos
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While the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept on display at the Geneva Motor Show is, of course, just a concept, Autoblog notes that its style looks nearly production-ready. If it comes to market, it will probably lose the fender-mounted "mirror cams," and other cool bits like the "nano-active fiber technology" in its front and rear lights. A light cord shows off a futuristic idea for daytime running lights, while the other elements make it a "three-dimensional, multilayered, high-tech component."
The Mercedes-AMG GT Concept. Geneva Motor Show. Get ready.
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As far as that impressive powertrain, this is no plug-in hybrid, with batteries that charge via brake recuperation or from the gasoline engine if the charge drops below a certain level. It has an all-wheel-drive system, with its electric motor driving the rear wheels directly. It also rocks the recently-announced "EQ" branding, seen here as EQ Power+, meant to represent the increased performance of hybrids. Everything adds up to a four-door "coupe" that can go 0-60MPH in under three seconds while remaining suitable for daily use -- if you can ever buy one.