Key Takeaways
- AMG is developing a bespoke electric SUV on the AMG.EA platform to rival high-end electrified SUVs.
- The SUV will reportedly feature Vision One-Eleven’s motors, potentially meaning well over 1,000 horsepower.
- AMG plans to introduce more hybrids but flagship EVs remain important to develop advanced technology.
According to a new report, the engineers in Affalterbach are working on another bespoke EV before the first – expected to be a Taycan rival – has even arrived. Per Autocar, the AMG.EA platform will be used to create a bespoke AMG SUV positioned as a “technological pioneer” to rival the BMW XM, Porsche K1, and Lotus Eletre.
Just as today’s AMG-GT 4-Door will be replaced by the abovementioned Taycan rival with styling influence from the Mercedes Vision AMG concept, this new electric SUV will ultimately replace the GLE 63 in the lineup. Insiders say that the SUV’s styling will soon be previewed in a concept, suggesting a departure from the current EQ styling identity. Cue a collective sigh of relief from all Mercedes enthusiasts.
Special Electric Motors For Over 1,000 HP?
The patented axial flux disc-style motors from the Vision One-Eleven concept will work with an 800V platform and a specially developed software simply named AMG.OS – no wonder Germany is better known for its technological innovation than its creativity in naming cars. This combination will enable a variety of layouts, including single and dual-motor RWD and dual-, tri-, and quad-motor AWD configurations, but to maintain efficiency, the new electric SUV and electric AMG GT 4-Door replacement will share similar setups.
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Parts of it will be used in upcoming production models.
The imminent electric G-Class, on the other hand, will approach things differently and will have unique software tuning, but there are benefits that each sort of vehicle can enjoy, as follows. How much power will be on offer for the electric AMG GLE replacement remains to be seen, but each axial flux motor produces as much as 480 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, which means four-figure outputs are certainly on the table. As with the BMW quad-motor prototype, the possibilities for individual wheel control from a high-speed and an off-roading perspective are positively exciting.
An AMG insider described the torque-vectoring capabilities as providing future EVs with “a whole new level of variable traction possibilities.”
More To A Car Than Just Motors
As Pirelli has famously said for the last 30-odd years, “Power is nothing without control.” Affalterbach is well aware of that, and along with a self-developed battery pack with special cell chemistry and silicone anode material, the new AMG e-SUV will have an advanced version of the Active Ride Control system from the latest AMG GT Coupe. Inside, the interior will get a new look, and the displays will have an AMG-specific design and graphics.
AMG Won’t Be Electric-Only
From here, AMG will filter advanced EV tech to lower-priced models, but in the meantime, the eventual CLA replacement, due in 2025, will be based on the MMA platform that can accommodate either combustion or electricity. Production of the electric-only flagship AMG SUV and its sedan sibling is planned for Sindelfingen, with the sedan launching in 2025 and the SUV debuting in 2026.
As Mercedes adapts its focus to a more hybrid-friendly approach, these timelines may yet change.
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On paper, this looks like a very capable engine, and one that would immediately improve a host of models. Whether it happens is another story.