Mercedes-AMG is exploring an electric version of the AMG GT sports coupé - but it needs to “justify the investment”, said the performance brand’s boss.

AMG has already confirmed an electric successor to the GT 4-Door Coupé will arrive next year, previewed by the GT XX concept. It will be the first car to sit on the 800V AMG.EA platform, which will also be used for the brand’s incoming super-SUV due in 2027.

Now AMG boss Michael Schiebe has said work is under way to see if a battery-electric version of the two-door GT is viable.

“There is an emotional discussion and a rational discussion,” said Schiebe said at the Munich motor show. ”Emotionally, yes, we should do that. The question is whether there is a market that is big enough to justify the investment that is necessary. At least from a technology point of view, we know how to do that.”

A key focus for AMG is which customers the new GT will target. The ICE model (below) is currently bought mainly as a second car for “those who love driving”, so the EV would need to focus on that also, said Schiebe.

But, he said, the brand hasn’t put a timeframe on when they would bring it to market and is “flexible” on a launch date - for example, it could accelerate the programme if interest in electric performance cars suddenly rockets over the next few years.

He explained: “We are at the moment trying to understand what's going on in the market. And then we define the target picture of that very specific car.”

Mercedes has some form in this space, having previously built an electric version of the old AMG SLS - and used it to set an EV lap record at the Nürburgring. However, that EV was only ever sold in extremely low numbers and was retired without a direct successor.

If a new EV coupé were green-lit, Scheibe said it would continue to be sold alongside the ICE GT, which the brand will “continue to invest in” well into the next decade.

“I would say we are very successful with our combustion-engined GT two-door,” he said. “So we will focus on that first, and then let's see when the right point and time is there to launch a two-door EV.”

He added: “We want to be in terms of technology and performance successful but also economically successful. We do whatever is, let's say, worth investing the money. And at the moment, I would say we are more successful investing into our two-door combustion-engine platform than doing this on the electric side. But here we are flexible, so flexible because we are constantly reviewing our portfolio and looking into that.”

Ultimately, Schiebe hinted that such a model might be brought to market as a halo car, regardless of its commercial viability: “Sometimes you make a car which is not the most profitable one, but you do it because it's so important for the brand, and you need to do it because it's a brand-shaper."

If AMG does build an electric version of the GT, it could serve as the first direct rival to the Maserati Granturismo Folgore, which is currently the only EV super-coupé on sale. Rivals including the Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage and Ferrari Amalfi remain exclusively combustion-powered - and will do for several years to come.