805HP GT Concept hints at the future of Mercedes hybrids

If you're Mercedes, how do you follow up the SLS AMG and AMG GT coupes? With this GT Concept, which, as exec Tobias Moers says, is Mercedes "giving a preview of our third completely independently developed sports car." Like so many other current high-performance vehicles, it combines a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine with an electric motor and battery to produce a max of 805HP. More importantly, it could signal a halo model pushing the company's hybrid aspirations in a manner similar to the BMW i8.

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While the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept on display at the Geneva Motor Show is, of course, just a concept, Autoblog notes that its style looks nearly production-ready. If it comes to market, it will probably lose the fender-mounted "mirror cams," and other cool bits like the "nano-active fiber technology" in its front and rear lights. A light cord shows off a futuristic idea for daytime running lights, while the other elements make it a "three-dimensional, multilayered, high-tech component."

As far as that impressive powertrain, this is no plug-in hybrid, with batteries that charge via brake recuperation or from the gasoline engine if the charge drops below a certain level. It has an all-wheel-drive system, with its electric motor driving the rear wheels directly. It also rocks the recently-announced "EQ" branding, seen here as EQ Power+, meant to represent the increased performance of hybrids. Everything adds up to a four-door "coupe" that can go 0-60MPH in under three seconds while remaining suitable for daily use -- if you can ever buy one.