Geneva show: Mercedes-AMG teases 4-door GT

MERCEDES-AMG has teased its upcoming GT 4-door Coupe ahead of its official reveal at the Geneva motor show next month with a series of camouflaged on-road driving images.

Set for an Australian arrival in 2019, the 4-door Coupe has been shown wearing heavy camouflage, while still bearing a significant resemblance to the GT Concept shown at last year’s Geneva show.

The camouflaged images show Mercedes’ signature Panamericana vertical grille, large alloy wheels, a sloping roofline, thin horizontal tail-lights and a quad-exit exhaust.

Photos posted to social media were accompanied by a quote from Mercedes-AMG chairman Tobias Moers, reading: “Shortly we will welcome a new member to the #AMGGTfamily. My team and I are now in the final testing phase before the upcoming world premiere.”

Concrete details on Affalterbach’s latest weapon are still thin on the ground, however rumours are swirling that the production version will follow the 2017 concept by introducing electrification on top of the power provided from the ubiquitous 4.0-litre biturbo V8.

Under the bonnet of the GT Concept, power output was rated at an earth-moving 600kW, 100kW clear of the Porsche Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid.

Sending power to all four wheels via Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, the V8 engine motivates each wheel with supplementary power being sent to the rear axle from the electric motor for an instantaneous power boost.

Such a powertrain combination would reportedly give the 4-door Coupe performance capabilities unseen by any model currently wearing an AMG badge.

It is expected that when it arrives in Australia, the GT 4-door Coupe will be offered in both petrol and electrified flavours, and will continue Mercedes-AMG’s push towards hybrid powertrains.

Mercedes’ performance arm has recently announced a couple of new models sporting electrified powertrains, including the CLS53 which teams a new 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine with a combined starter motor/alternator.

Also revealed recently was the new A35 which mates a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine to a 48-volt electrical system and electric turbocharger for an as-yet-unspecified power output.

However the crown jewel of Mercedes-AMG’s electrified push is surely the Project One, the 740kW-plus Formula One-inspired track monster that is expected to land in Australia in the second half of 2019, limited to eight examples locally.

It is unknown how many variants the four-door GT range will be offered in, with the two-door range expanding to four different spec levels in 2017 opening with the 350kW/630Nm GT and topping out with the savage 430kW/700Nm GT R.

GoAuto understands that the GT 4-door Coupe will not be revealed in full until the commencement of the Geneva motor show, which kicks off on March 8.