Mercedes-Benz Might be Working on a Hybrid Hypercar

When Mercedes began experimenting with naming changes, like adding the Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes-AMG sub-brands, it opened up a world of new opportunities. No longer did Mercedes-Benz have to fight with big dogs like Bentley in its higher-end rigs, and no longer did AMG have to compromise sport for luxury. Each of the three brands – Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Maybach, and Mercedes-AMG – now have their own target buyers and their own market to cater to. Now, according to a report from Motor Trend, Mercedes-AMG is aiming its sites even higher up the performance-car food chain.

The cars it has set in its sites? The likes of the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Ferrari LaFerrari. During the Detroit Auto Show, Motor Trend sat down with AMG’s CEO Tobias Moers, and asked him about the possibility of competing with these hybrid hypercars. Unlike the first time Motor Trend asked this question – which was met with a short and sweet “No” – Moers elaborated by saying “We want to be seen by the public on the same level as the other sports car maker in Germany.”

Well, that’s a mighty big change from his initial response, and it’s the best evidence to date that Mercedes-AMG now has the green light to start looking at making even more insane cars in the future.

While the details on this possible hypercar are, of course, non-existent, there are little bits and pieces to go off of. For example, Moers was once quoted by Motor Trend saying that the reason the AMG GT will not have gullwing doors is because he’s “protecting he gullwing for the future.” Could this mean the gullwing body could be in reserve for this upcoming hypercar? It’s a possibility.

The other mystery is what will power this thing. The guys at Motor Trend seem to think that we’ll see a version of the new 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V-8 stuffed behind the rear seats with somewhere between 650 and 700 horses. To reach the insane performance numbers of the aforementioned hybrid hypercars, MT goes on to speculate that this new halo rig could feature in-wheel electric motors, like in the SLS Electric Drive, driving the front wheels.

Only time will tell if this becomes a reality, but change is certainly in the air over at AMG, and it’s looking mighty good.