Mercedes-AMG SUV Is Working On An Electric

Mercedes-AMG is pressing ahead with plans to launch a high-performance electric SUV that will be distinct to anything sold by Mercedes-Benz.
 

Announced by AMG on Thursday, the standalone SUV will use the Affalterbach tuner’s own AMG.EA dedicated EV platform and sit in the full-size category.
 
A teaser sketch released as part of Thursday’s announcement hints at a sleek, almost fastback design with powerful haunches.
 
AMG has launched standalone models before, including the current GT Coupe and SL Roadster, as well as the 4-Door GT Coupe. However, this will be the first time in the company’s 57-year history that an SUV will be launched as a pure AMG. In a statement, AMG chief Michael Schiebe said SUVs have been among the tuner’s most popular models for years, and the standalone SUV is a response to that trend.
 
The first prototypes are scheduled to start testing on public roads this winter. A release date wasn’t mentioned but reports from April claimed the debut would happen in 2026. The timing points to the SUV arriving as a 2027 model in the U.S.
 
The SUV will be the second model based on the AMG.EA platform. The first is a fastback sedan due next year as the likely replacement for the 4-Door GT Coupe. Though it has yet to be confirmed, a supercar may also be spun off the platform.
 
AMG has said its AMG.EA platform will introduce a number of new innovations for the brand, one of which is axial-flux motor technology. Mercedes in 2021 acquired the British company Yasa, which specializes in high-performance electric motors and will likely supply the axial-flux motors for vehicles based on the AMG.EA platform.
 
Axial-flux motors are both lighter and smaller than conventional radial-flux motors of similar output. As a guide, a motor weighing just over 50 pounds can deliver around 480 hp, and multiple units could be installed. However, manufacturing the motors is more difficult than for radial-flux motors, making them a lot more expensive.
 
In addition to its motors, the AMG.EA platform is also expected to benefit from a high-performance high-voltage battery developed using AMG’s F1 know-how, particularly in the areas of energy discharging and recovery, and perhaps also cooling.
 
The AMG electric SUV will have some direct competition when it arrives. In addition to the XM plug-in hybrid from BMW M, Porsche is developing an electric three-row SUV expected to arrive 2027.