Mercedes AMG GT R tease 002 ys6e
Benz AMG GT R 033
Mercedes AMG GT R 118 4gvt
Mercedes AMG GT R 044
IAA 2017 Mercedes AMG GT Concept
Marton Pettendy14 Sept 2017
NEWS

Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series coming

Hard-core Black Series performance coupe to join next year’s four-door sedan in Mercedes-AMG’s growing GT family

Mercedes-AMG chief Tobias Moers has confirmed a lighter, more powerful Black Series version will top the Benz hot-shop’s expanding GT model line, which will be joined next year by a sleek four-door sedan that gives AMG yet another rival for the Porsche Panamera.

However, like the ballistic SLS Black Series it will follow in the footsteps of, the GT R Black Series won’t be released until late in the life cycle of the two-year-old AMG GT, so it’s still some years away.

For now, AMG’s most potent supercar remains the circa-$350,000 GT R, which arrives in Australia in October alongside a facelifted GT Coupe and Roadster family, which now spans a $260,000-$350,000 price range like Porsche’s mainstream 911 line-up.

The GT range now comprises the entry-level coupe ($258,711 plus on-road costs) and convertible ($283,711), plus the GT S Coupe ($298,711), GT C Coupe Edition 50 ($335,211) and GT C Roadster ($338,711).

Benz AMG GT R 033

Expect a cheaper, standard GT C Coupe to follow, as well as GT S Roadster, but there’s unlikely to be a roadster version of the GT R or the Black Series coupe, which Moers confirmed will bring more power and less weight.

“The GT R is still very competitive and is doing quite well [but] when we do a Black Series it’s going to happen in the GT family,” he said.

“The GTR for sure chassis-wise is capable of more power. So yes Black Series should always have a little bit more power but it’s not all bout horsepower -- it’s all about the handling, the performance on the track.

“Yes we can do more. GT R is less weight than GT S so yes we’re working on that. For Black Series it will be mandatory to reduce weight.”

Given the GT R’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 produces 430kW and 700Nm – enough for it to hit 100km/h in a claimed 3.6 seconds – we expect the lighter, circa-450kW Black Series to at least match the 0-100km/h pace of the E 63 S sedan (3.4sec).

Therefore the hottest GT this side of the GT4 racer could become Mercedes-Benz’s quickest production model, at least until the rumoured C 63 R Coupe arrives as a direct rival for BMW’s limited-edition M4 GTS super-coupe.

And of course AMG’s 2019 Project ONE hypercar will set a new standard again with a 0-100 time of about 2.5 seconds.

IAA 2017 Mercedes-AMG Project ONE concept

AMG GT sedan here first
Meantime, next year’s all-new GT sedan, which is yet to be named but won’t be called the GT 4, enters production in mid-2018 after debuting in production for at the Detroit show in January.

Moers confirmed the four-door, four-seater won’t be based on the same supercar-style rear-transaxle platform as the two-door, two-seat GTs, but rather a version of the E-Class sedan platform, specifically the E 63’s.

Moers said using the GT’s transaxle design would have limited rear foot room and made the wheelbase too long, like “an example from the UK”.

The GT sedan will launch first in 63 guise, powered by AMG’s biturbo V8, before it is joined by a hybrid version previewed by the Geneva concept’s 600kW V8 petrol-electric all-wheel drive powertrain.

“There’ll be more than one engine, not just 63,” he said, before we asked him about a hybrid version.

“Absolutely. Not from the beginning but you can expect that.”

IAA 2017 Mercedes AMG GT Concept

But while Mercedes-AMG’s GT sedan and Mercedes-Benz’s CLS, a new generation of which makes its debut in Los Angeles in November, are both four-door ‘coupes’ based on the E-Class, they will be very different offerings that will both take the fight to Porsche’s Panamera.

For starters, there won’t be a V8 version of the third-generation CLS, the top powertrain in which will be AMG’s new 370kW 3.0-litre turbo petrol-electric hybrid system. It will be badged as the CLS 53 and it will make its debut in LA.

The next CLS will also offer a five-seat layout while the GT sedan will seat just four, and the latter will be a liftback with two side windows rather than a booted sedan with three.

Finally, the GT sedan will be priced higher than the equivalent GT, as well as the CLS, of which there be no Shooting Brake wagon version this time round.

Moers said the GT sedan will broaden the market bandwidth of the AMG-exclusive model family more than ever, in much the same way Porsche has expanded its Panamera range with multiple engine variants plus a wagon version, which could eventually be joined by a coupe.

“Coming out of our experience with SLS, because its starting price was very high we didn’t have that much room to increase our portfolio price-wise,” he said.

“So when we set up the GT program it was very clear from the beginning that we would spread that portfolio. It starts in Europe for under 100,000 euros, then you have room for adding other variants.

“In the sports car segment the guys at Zuffenhausen do it quite well.
In that segment it’s about being busy. When you have a new variant you can talk about it.”

Moers pointed out that AMG’s assembly plant is running at full capacity for the fourth year running, and that the GT sedan would not only attract owners of the GT coupe but ‘conquest’ customers from other brands.

Also expected from AMG in 2018 is an upgraded C 63 based on the facelifted C-Class, following the late 2017 release of 63 and 65 versions of the new S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet, as well as the facelifted S-Class sedan.

Further afield, AMG will release a new GLE 63 based on the redesigned large SUV due Down Under very late next year, a revised G 63 based on the heavily updated 2018 G-Class and an expanded range of new compact performance cars wearing 45 and, potentially, 35 badges.

These should include the new A-Class hatch and all-new A-Class sedan – which will be sold alongside the new CLA sedan – as well as the GLA crossover and B-Class people-mover.

“There’s a new generation of compact cars coming,” confirmed Moers. “We’re going to have a 45 successor for sure, and we’ll have an entry-level compact, maybe 35 or whatever.”

AMG expects to sell more than 6000 vehicles in Australia for the first time this year – up from last year’s 5200, a figure it has already surpassed in 2017.

This is due mostly to the new E 43 and C 43, sales of which have been almost all additional as the C 63 remains its top-seller, as well as strong 45 model sales. The biggest selling AMG 45 is the CLA sedan/wagon, followed by the A 45 and then the GLA 45.

Australia is currently vying with Canada for the highest AMG market penetration globally, with AMG sales as a proportion of Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle sales again hovering around 20 per cent this year.

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