Buyers line up for AMG hypercar

Will this prototype bear any resemblance to the final version?

Mercedes-AMG's new mid-engine hypercar will generate more than 1,000 hp from its F1-based drivetrain and cost more than $2 million when it arrives on the market at the end of 2018.

Though its arrival is two years away, the hypercar is close to being sold out, Mercedes-AMG Chairman Tobias Moers said during an interview at the auto show here. AMG will produce between 200 and 300 of the cars and is already keeping a list of buyers.

"It's close to our production capacity," Moers said. "It's an amazing car. There's nothing else on the market."

The new hypercar will use the same electrified powertrain used in the company's Mercedes-AMG Formula One race car, Moers said, though it must be modified to lower the idle speed as needed for a street-legal car. Engineers have reduced the compression ratio for the street car. It features a 1.6-liter V-6 powertrain that revs to more than 10,000, even in the street car, he said.

The hypercar will be unveiled in 2017 as part of AMG's 50th anniversary celebration. One task for the car is to open the door on the future of performance vehicles in terms of efficiency and output, Moers said.

"If you combine both worlds, the most efficient powertrain on the planet, which is the F1 powertrain, with the competencies and capabilities from AMG, to make a very performing hypercar, this is the pinnacle of engineering in automotive now," Moers said. "It's a birthday present."

The article "Buyers line up for AMG hypercar"originally appeared on Automotive News. autoweek.com