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By Ntsako Mthethwa

Journalist


AMG to celebrate 50th birthday with R47 million hybrid car

The Bugatti Chiron should be very much scared… as we say happy 50th birthday to AMG.


Rumours of a new Mercedes-AMG Chiron-fighting megacar have recently resurfaced.

The car is called R50 and in case you’re wondering why the name, AMG wants to celebrate its 50th birthday with this model. The R50 will take the form of a sleek, low-slung coupe.

In terms of power, a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain made up of two electric motors rated at 111kW each mounted over the front axle, and a mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbo four tuned to churn out a ridiculous 1 491kW. All told, the three power sources will send 969kW to all four wheels.

Performance specifications are still coy at the moment but the R50 should be ultra-quick, because it will allegedly tip the scale at less than 1 315kg thanks in part to a carbon fibre monocoque. Four-wheel steering – a technology recently introduced on the GT R – and an adaptive suspension will both come standard.

According to German magazine AutoBild, the R50 will make its debut next year to celebrate AMG’s 50th birthday and it will go on sale shortly after as a limited-edition model with a price tag that’s believed to lie between about R31 million and R47 million at the current exchange rate.

If this is true, we see it taking turns with the R42 million Bugatti Chiron boasting an 8.0-litre, quad-turbo W16 mill capable of churning out 1103kW of power.

 

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