Mercedes will use the new MSA spaceframe platform underpinning the new AMG developed SL in the next Mercedes-AMG GT, which may have to be repositioned as a more hardcore offering, according to AMG high-ups.
Speaking to Auto Express, AMG boss Philip Schiemer and chief technology officer Jochen Hermann outlined the subtle differences between buyers of the new SL, which has been rebooted as a sportier car for its seventh generation, and those of the AMG GT, plus what this may mean for the next version of the brand’s performance flagship.
“With the GT which is now coming to the end of its lifecycle, we have some new ideas,” said Schiemer.
“Our GT drivers are people who love to go with their vehicle on the race track. We see this every weekend and we see this when we do our events and driving academies. This is the place where the GT drivers are meeting. The classical SL owners are not so much on the racetracks, but more interested in cruising.”
Schiemer said that the MSA platform would be used by the brands in “many ways” in the future, while Hermann added: “And of course, with the MSA architecture, there’s room for a successor car [for the GT]. But it wouldn’t make sense for example to have a GT Roadster in the future because this will be overlapping.
“Of course, the GT will be a very different car from the SL because even if we use the same powertrain layout and the basic principles of the body in white structure for example, we have to make the GT an even sportier car.”
Click here to read our review of the hardcore Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series…
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