Thundering V8 engines are Mercedes-AMG’s hallmark, but given the industry's push towards electricity the brand’s Affalterbach performance division is also embracing change.
AMG’s first battery-powered vehicle is the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4Matic+, but Merc’s go-faster division has ambitions beyond the Affalterbach treatment for vehicles that sit on the EQ platform.
The National travelled to Seville, Spain, for the international launch of the AMG GT 63 S E Performance, the first plug-in hybrid in AMG livery.
Unlike with conventional plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, the real story here isn’t about ultra-low emissions or a meaningful EV-only range. AMG has instead prioritised delivering even more electrifying performance than with the GT 63 S — a blindingly fast four-door in standard form.
AMG tapped into the expertise of its Formula One team to devise a high-performance battery pack and software that allows electrical energy to be rapidly harnessed and used in much the same way that F1 cars do with their Kinetic Energy Recovery System.
The battery pack has twice the energy density of conventional batteries, packaged in unison with an electric motor that drives the rear wheels. Both these components are housed with the rear axle, endowing the GT 63 S E Performance with perfect 50:50 weight distribution (weight is split in a less optimal 54:46 ratio over front and rear axles in the standard GT 63 S).
The battery pack kicks in with short bursts of power that supplement the familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 to take peak outputs to 843hp and 1,470Nm.
The GT 63 SE Performance’s mighty grunt is kept in check by AMG Ride Control+ suspension, which is based on multi-chamber air suspension with automatic level control and adaptive damping.
Rear-wheel steer is standard, as is an electronic limited-slip differential and 4Matic+ with variable torque distribution that channels drive from petrol and electric powertrains optimally among the four wheels. The GT 63 S E Performance also gets larger ceramic composite brakes than the standard GT 63 S, measuring 420 millimetres at the front and 380mm at the rear.
The hybrid system comes at a cost (apart from the financial one) as it adds 240kg, taking the S E Performance’s girth to a sumo-like 2,380kg. Even so, it hides its weight well, making the 0-100 kilometres an hour dash in 2.9 seconds. It can also hit a hypercar-rivalling 316 kph flat out, given a long enough straight on a racetrack.
For the most part, the S E Performance drives like its conventional combustion counterpart around town and on the motorway, but it’s a more refined car as, apart from being quieter, the adaptive dampers provide more ride compliancy in Comfort mode as there’s now a greater spread between the drive modes.
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
A track session proved equally enlightening, and our playground for the day was the 4.43km Circuito Monteblanco, comprising a couple of corners with heavy braking points, as well as a few fast, flowing bends.
With Race mode selected by a twist knob on the steering wheel, we started with two sighter laps, which boosted battery charge from 57 per cent to almost 90 per cent as the regenerative braking and combustion engine did their bit to top up charge.
With an almost fully replenished battery, it was then full attack, with five-time DTM champion Bernd Schneider leading the way in an identical car.
Aided by its 50:50 weight balance, plus its clever chassis electronics and four-wheel-steer, the S E Performance is a surprisingly nimble device capable of remarkable corner speeds for a 2.4-tonne sedan.
What’s more, the petrol-electric hybrid powertrain serves up great thrust out of slow corners, enabling it to slingshot down the straights.
The GT 63 S E Performance isn’t much quicker than the GT 63 S, but it’s still an impressive and highly cohesive piece of engineering. If you simply must have the latest and greatest, it doesn’t disappoint.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
AL%20BOOM
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Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
