New York show: Mercedes to reveal ‘GT4’ this year

MERCEDES-AMG has hinted strongly that its long-awaited answer to the Porsche Panamera will surface sometime later this year, but it likely lob as a ‘Vision’ concept car rather than the final production-ready version.

Known as the GT4, and aimed directly at the Panamera as well as the BMW M6 Gran Coupe and Aston Martin Rapide, the super-sports four-door sedan will complement the flagship AMG GT series when sales begin later next year or in 2018.

While no firm date has been set, Mercedes-AMG chairman Tobias Moers gave the strongest clue to date about when we will first see the long-rumoured four-seater.

“There is still room for other companions in our family,” he told GoAuto at the New York motor show. “Let us wait a little. By the end of the year you will know a little bit more about it.”

Said to be based on the still-secret next-generation CLS – itself a spin-off of the just-unveiled E-Class sedan – the GT4 is believed to be on a shorter wheelbase, and reportedly shares virtually no visible body panels inside or out with the donor vehicle.

Up to five engines have been reportedly mooted for the project known internally as X290, including a trio of 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder units (including a high torque-output diesel) and a pair of V8s.

The top-line variant will most likely employ a variation of the upcoming E63 S’ 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8, driving all four wheels via a 9G-tronic nine-speed wet-clutch MCT multi-clutch transmission.

The all-wheel-drive system is AMG’s own development and will make its debut about the end of the year or in early 2017 in the E-Class high-performance flagship.

It has also been suggested that Mercedes-Benz had prepared another Shooting Brake five-door wagon version of the next-generation CLS, until slow sales in North America and China put the kibosh on that project quite late in the piece.