What you need to earn to afford the most expensive Mercedes-AMG in South Africa

South Africans aspiring to own the very best that Mercedes-Benz has to offer will need to earn roughly R450,000 per month, according to a calculation by TopAuto.

The title of the most expensive Mercedes to come from the brand’s AMG racing division belongs to the new flagship GT63 S E Performance, which can be yours for the upfront cost of R4,036,144.

This price tag is warranted by the fact that the GT63 is one of the carmaker’s most powerful models to date, incorporating a 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine in tandem with a hybrid electric motor – a first for an AMG.

This setup generates a mind-blowing 620kW and 1,470Nm, letting the S E soar from 0 to 100km/h in just 2.91 seconds and reach a top speed of 316km/h.

A nine-speed automatic transmission is used to negotiate this power to a 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, which has added stability thanks to the latest AMG Ride Control adaptive suspension.

It can bring itself to a halt from 100km/h in 2.64 seconds thanks to a set of ceramic-composite high-performance brakes, which also have regenerative capabilities to feed energy back into the 6.1kWh hybrid battery.

Other items on the Mercedes comprise an active exhaust system, red brake calipers, 20-inch alloy wheels, Nappa leather AMG Performance seats, a carbon-fibre dashboard, a leather sport steering wheel with paddle shifters, multi-zone climate control, a wireless phone charger, a Burmester 3D stereo, and two 12.3-inch screens for the driver display and infotainment using the latest MBUX software.

What you need to earn

To get a sense of the money one would need to make in order to afford such a vehicle, we can fall back on the guidelines established by South Africa’s financial institutions regarding finance plans.

This means using the formula detailed below:

• Car price – R4,036,144
• Payment term – 60 terms (5 years)
• Interest – 11.75%
• Deposit – 0%
• Balloon – No balloon payment
• Extras – No optional extras

If you were to purchase the GT63 on finance, the monthly payments would come to R89,368 per month.

Financial experts recommend that you do not spend more than 20% of your gross monthly salary on vehicle payments, so for a payment of this size to be feasible, you’d have to earn in the realm of R446,840 per month.

Of course, if you are earning six figures each month, it’s likely that your daily expenses are just a drop in the pond and are thus able to save a lot more each month, meaning that the 1% able to afford supercars in this price range typically buy outright rather than on finance, and may not actually need to earn sums quite this extreme each month.

In any case, you’ll need to find yourself in elite company to be able to own the most expensive Mercedes-AMG in South Africa.