The German automaker may lean on Linkin Park to develop sounds for future electric versions of its AMG performance models. In an interview with Australian car magazine Wheels, Mercedes-AMG CEO Tobias Moers said AMG is working with a wide variety of experts, including Linkin Park. So expect AMG electric cars to make people really nostalgic for the early 2000s.
“We’ve had a cooperation with Linkin Park for years,” Moers said. “We’re really close.” Mercedes-AMG unveiled a race car with a livery designed by the band last year. It’s also sponsored Linkin Park tours, and the band participated in some of AMG’s 50th-anniversary celebrations this year. But how do musicians make music for cars?
Moers said AMG has been working on artificial sound for several years. Considering that many internal-combustion cars already have their natural engine sounds augmented by noises piped into the cabin by speakers, it’s admittedly not a stretch to imagine automakers generating completely artificial sounds for electric cars. In theory, those sounds could be anything. Engineers could synthesize the sound of a V8, or make something completely alien.
We probably won’t find out right away. While parent Mercedes-Benz is aggressively pursuing all-electric cars, AMG will start out with hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Its upcoming Project One supercar will feature a Formula One-style hybrid system, meaning there will probably be plenty of engine noise. Moers said the AMG GT four-door concept (picture above) that debuted at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show is also a good indicator of the brand’s electrification plans.
Billed as a four-door version of the AMG GT sports car, the concept is rumored to be on the fast track to production. It relied on a combination of AMG’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and electric power to produce 805 horsepower, and AMG said it would do 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds. That’s pretty exciting, regardless of the soundtrack.
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