Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 011 v48d
Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 015
Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 017
Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 002 ky9x
Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 004 z860
Carsales Staff9 Aug 2017
NEWS

SPY PICS: Mercedes-AMG GT sedan sprung

High-tech hybrid AMG missile to be world's fastest four-door, coming to Oz late 2018

One of the hottest Mercedes-AMG vehicles ever built has been snapped undergoing testing in Germany. The new AMG GT four-door road rocket will pump out up to 600kW (800hp) and is set to lob in Australia in late 2018.

Known internally as X290, the new model is tipped to be available to customers from September 2018 in Europe and a couple of months later in Australia.

However, it's not yet clear whether the Porsche Panamera rival will be offered here initially with a development of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from the E 63, which pumps out 450kW (600hp) in standard form, or a new high-tech 600kW hybrid powertrain.

"We would look at both," said David McCarthy, Mercedes-Benz Australia's senior communications manager.

Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 004 z860

"It will be a low-volume car, so how many variants there will be and how many we would take is not clear," McCarthy told motoring.com.au.

Apart from the $3.2 million Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercar, for which there are already 10 orders in Australia, the new AMG GT sedan will be the company's most potent performance car and is shaping up to be the world's fastest sedan.

Officially, the vehicle does not yet have a name, but Mercedes-AMG ‘GT 4’ has been mooted.

When will we see the production version? It's a chance for the 2017 Frankfurt motor show in September, when it could share the limelight alongside the AMG Project One, which will be the centrepiece of AMG's 50th anniversary celebrations.

Already previewed by the AMG GT Concept at the 2017 Geneva motor show, the design dropped jaws and the latest spy pics show the finished product will have a similarly sleek aesthetic.

Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 017

Steeply angled front and rear windscreens provide athletic, purposeful visuals while the low roof line and narrow side windows are in keeping with the concept car's motif.

The stretched bonnet, bold grille design and slim LED headlights and tail-lights appear to be little changed over the GT concept, although the rear of the production car features a slightly longer boot section than the concept car.

Mercedes-AMG has ditched the twin tubular rear-view wing cameras for traditional mirrors.

McCarthy explained that in Australia the AMG's modus operandi was to take the most powerful variant and this would continue with the new four-door machine, which will launch "likely late 2018, or early 2019".

Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 006 cpfw

It's not clear if the new model will be offered in both rear- and all-wheel drive layouts but, with Mercedes executives talking up 2.5-second 0-100km/h acceleration times, the latter is likely.

With 600kW of power and potentially 1000Nm of combined torque, this sort of thrust would allow it to outpace its most potent rival, the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, which arrives here next month as Porsche’s new sedan flagship, giving it at least a 12-month head-start on the AMG GT 4.

That vehicle rips to 100km/h in a claimed 3.4 seconds thanks to a 404kW twin-turbo V8 augmented by a 100kW electric motor. Porsche reckons the combined output is 500kW and 850Nm.

Mercedes AMG GT 4 Door 002 ky9x

Mercedes-AMG has not finalised pricing yet, but it's safe to say the new model won't be cheap. By way of comparison, the GT S Coupe costs just under $300,000 and the Panamera Turbo S is priced at a smidge over $460,000, not including on-road costs.

"You won't see it for $99,900 drive-away," stated McCarthy, who confirmed it would be positioned "in that [Panamera] neighbourhood" in terms of price, making it more exclusive than the four-door CLS-Class ‘coupe’.

"CLS does between 200 and 300 sales per year. I don't think this car will go that high. It's going to be priced pretty substantially. I don’t imagine it'll be a high volume."

Even so, AMG sales in Australia are booming, with 5200 vehicles finding homes in 2016, making up around 12 per cent of total Mercedes sales last year (41,226). Sales have climbed even further in 2017, with AMG registrations to the end of July already totalling 4200.

Mercedes-AMG has a standalone retail outlet in Brisbane and is building a brand-new AMG-exclusive dealership at Sydney airport. It also has plans to open an all-AMG showroom in Melbourne and you can bet on this new four-door flagship will taking pride of place inside.

Share this article
Written byCarsales Staff
See all articles
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Download the carsales app
    AppStoreDownloadGooglePlayDownload
    App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
    © CAR Group Ltd 1999-2024
    In the spirit of reconciliation we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.