The AMG GT 63 E Performance is an 843PS hyper saloon

The music is the soundtrack to a film promoting the new car, directed by Brit photographer Rankin, called Everything But Quiet – and with 843PS (620kW) and 1470Nm (1084lb ft) of torque, this new 196mph four-door coupe promises to be very shouty indeed. You can even make it sound like a true AMG when it’s in electric-only mode.

The AMG GT is a familiar if rare sight on our roads – and the E Performance model sharing the same body apart from new front and rear aprons and some aero tweaks – it is the drivetrain here that takes star billing.

No surprises up front: the familiar AMG 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine with twin-scroll turbochargers delivers 639PS (470kW) to all four wheels. Where the E Performance hybrid bit comes in is at the back. Here, there is an electric motor rated at 204PS (150kW) for 10-psecond bursts, but, more important, capable of dishing out a slug of instant oomph to the tune of an additional 320Nm (236 lb ft).

In the increasingly familiar way of plug-in hybrids, this torque boost can supplement the petrol V8 for maximum performance or be used to power the car alone when in Electric mode, but only up to 80mph and only for a max of around 7.5 miles.

Even in “silent” mode, it will still sound like an AMG, the firm promising that a switchable “power” sound will emanate from loudspeakers when running on battery power. “In every situation, one thing remains the same: under all conditions, the E Performance hybrid is immediately recognisable as an AMG by its sound,” says the company. As the film’s title says, Everything But Quiet.

The rear electric motor is packaged in a single electric drive unit with an electrically shifted two-speed gearbox and electronic limited-slip rear differential. The unit is mounted above the rear axle along with the batteries, where it is said to benefit weight distribution and handling. In slippery conditions, an excess of electric motive force at the rear end is diverted via the propshaft to the front wheels.

The F1 connection comes in the shape of the 6.1kWh lithium-ion battery, the design of which is said to be inspired by the batteries in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 race cars. The priority, therefore, was not big range – hence the limited electric-only distance – but fast energy draw and high power density, said to be twice that of conventional drive batteries. Low weight was also important, and the battery pack weighs in at 89kg.

The key to the power density is how the battery cells are kept cool. Fourteen litres of coolant pumped from top to bottom through the entire battery pack ensures the cells keep their cool even when the car is being driven flat out in Race mode on a circuit. 

AMG says the new GT’s immediate electric drive response at the rear axle, rapid torque build-up and improved weight distribution makes for a highly dynamic driving experience, with instant torque off the line and when exiting corners. And it is of course a fast car: 0-62mph in this luxury four-seater takes just 2.9 seconds, 0-124mph is dispatched in under 10 seconds, and top speed is 196mph. 

In other words, the closest rival yet for the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid. There is no price yet for the AMG (its rival from Stuttgart costs from around £140,000) but with the full armoury of AMG bits and bobs aboard – Ride Control+ and ceramic composite brake system included – it’s not going to be cheap; the non-hybrid GT four-door already costs well over £130k. 

Extras including Night Package styling kit and myriad carbon, leather and colour options will see the tag rise further. Who will resist the special multimedia displays for the back seats that allow back-seat drivers to monitor power and torque? 

And what about that will.i.am connection? The Black Eyed Peas frontman (and now AMG brand ambassador) famously loves his cars but – who knew? – he is also an honorary fellow of the US’s Institution of Engineering and Technology, something reflected in his passion for modifying his cars. How will he modify his own GT 63 S E Performance we wonder? That is yet to be revealed…