Mercedes AMG GT to make way for SLS AMG in 2020

Our friends with the long lens have caught the highly anticipated Mercedes-Benz AMG GT undergoing final testing. The new model, expected later this year, will reportedly be powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 that generates around 387kW (520 bhp) of power.

Said to be built exclusively as a coupé, the GT will purportedly tips the scales at 1,480kg, around 140kg less than the SLS coupé.

Developed on a modified version of the SLS’s aluminium body structure, the AMG GT will compete with the likes of the Porsche 911 Carrera S and Aston Martin Vantage V8, and costs considerably less than the $467,965 starting price of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. It will also indirectly replace the SLS as Mercedes’ halo model after the model ceased production in May after a five-year span.

Production of the AMG GT is programmed for six years before being phased out in 2020, by which time Mercedes-Benz intends to resurrect the SLS AMG built on a new carbon fibre platform.

An entry-level model with 358kW (480 bhp), along with a range-topping Black Series that churns out 432kW, are also rumoured. The former is slated to arrive in 2016, while the Black Series is likely to debut in 2018.