2017 Frankfurt Motor Show: Mercedes hypercar, fuel cell SUV concept set for global reveals

MERCEDES-Benz has confirmed it will officially reveal the shape of the Mercedes-AMG Project One, the luxury car maker’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of its performance skunkworks, in near-production form next month.

The $3 million Project One, a wild, F1-inspired two-seater road car that is believed to look like a road-going version of a Le Mans LMP1 car, is locked in for a Frankfurt Motor Show reveal. Mercedes-AMG has already revealed the 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 that will power the hypercar; an engine near identical to the engines developed for the world championship-winning AMG-Petronas Formula 1 cars, with modifications made only to allow owners to use them without backup from a race team. The Project One’s V6 will rev to a confirmed 11,000rpm limiter, with AMG claiming the power it will generate will be more than 735kW – or 1000PS on the metric horsepower scale.

The Project One is also expected to come with a “qualifying” drive mode that will will mimic the most aggressive settings of the Formula 1 car, giving maximum track performance and control, variable ride height, active aero and drivetrain response.

An eight-speed single-clutch gearbox is expected, as is all-wheel drive. The Project One will use two 120kW electric motors to drive the front wheels independently, giving an all-electric range of up to 25km. A third 100kW electric motor is attached to the crankshaft, while an 80kW electric motor incorporated into the turbocharger gives the forced induction system immediate response. All up, the Project One has four electric motors with a combined output of 420kW.

Mercedes-Benz will also use Frankfurt to unveil a near-production version of its first-ever mass-produced fuel cell vehicle, the GLC F‑Cell EQ Power.

The vehicle will be the first to launch under Mercedes-Benz’s “EQ” sub-brand that it will apply to “compact vehicles with electrically driven power units to consequently make electromobility available for an important target group”.

Mercedes-Benz plans to launch the GLC compact SUV-based hydrogen fuel cell vehicle before 2020, the timeline when tough Euro 7 emissions targets come into force that will require car makers to build versions of their vehicles almost as clean as a Toyota Prius.

It says the plug-in fuel cell-powered GLC should provide a driving range of about 500km, and “short hydrogen fuelling times”.

The carmaker will also use Frankfurt to introduce the facelifted S-Class coupe and cabriolet.