Rumor, rumor: a Mercedes-AMG GT 73 Hybrid on the horizon?

The segment of luxury plug-in hybrid saloons may be about to welcome a new contender, the Mercedes-AMG GT73 Hybrid

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Just as singer Raffaella Carrá used to sing “Rumore, rumore”, our colleagues at Automobilismo in Italy are suggesting a rumour that is far from outlandish: that Mercedes-Benz has set its AMG department to work on a shake-up for the Porsche Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.

And, not to be outdone, the car proposed to challenge the luxurious Porsche plug-in hybrid super-saloon would need at least as much power as it has and, moreover, a name long enough to match its neighbour’s. Talk is of 800 CV for a car whose specific designation would be Mercedes-AMG GT73 Hybrid.

The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid in the crosshairs

The four-door Mercedes-AMG GT73 plug-in hybrid would be the most direct rival to the aforementioned Porsche. So much so that, although several types of electrification could be considered, Mercedes-Benz would have opted for an accumulator-based electric system capable of being recharged from an external power supply, that is, from the domestic electricity grid, as is equally possible with the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.

To make things harder for buyers torn between a Porsche and an Mercedes-AMG, in both cases rechargeable hybrids, with four doors, up to five seats, luxury and sportiness above all, more than enormous power and a price around 200,000 euros, the Mercedes-AMG GT 73 Hybrid would also feature a turbocharged engine whose eight cylinders were arranged in a V, that is, a twin-turbo V8. This car’s power could reach around 800 CV.

Bearing in mind that, for example, the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4Matic we tested had 639 CV and 900 Nm of torque, pairing it with an electric system providing a minimum of 100 kW of assistance, it is feasible to reach 750 or 800 CV, leaving behind the already more than sufficient 680 CV of the Porsche priced at 194,819 euros.

Mercedes-AMG cannot and should not wait any longer

Series production and sale of this hypothetical four-door Mercedes-AMG GT 73 Hybrid could begin as early as next year, 2020. This means that, if so, it is possible that at upcoming events in the coming months, such as the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, where the Porsche Taycan will be presented, and even on the other side of the Atlantic, as was done with the eighth generation of the “911”, we will get confirmation of the arrival of this plug-in hybrid saloon.

A hybrid which, incidentally, would be more than likely to proudly and arrogantly display the zero-emission DGT label as a car capable of covering more than 40 km in fully electric mode.