Mercedes-AMG One Million By Hakiem Salaheldin

Before the introduction of the new Mercedes-AMG super-sedan many folks wondered if an electric car has what it takes to be a proper AMG. Now, even more people are thinking that someone went mad or rogue when they approved this wacky design.
 

It’s been a while since we’ve known the days of the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe were numbered – the sedan is still based on the older GT, while the all-new Mercedes-AMG SL cabriolet and GT coupe have all-new designs and underpinnings. The interesting thing is that AMG decided not to renew it with a pound-for-pound successor and instead decided their new super-sedan would need batteries and electric motors.
 
So, we met the Mercedes-AMG GT XX Concept in late June, and some folks were awed by the 1,340-horsepower, 223-mph (360 kph) prototype that previews AMG’s first production EV, which is to be revealed in 2026. They will sell it with a simulated V8 soundtrack and simulated gearshifts for added emotion – but they can’t fake one thing: the controversial design.
 

Quickly enough, the technical possibilities came second to the quirky design, which is a take on what Maserati (the front end), Ferrari (the circular rear lights), or the Porsche Taycan (the upper treatment of the profile) can achieve. If they go down that path, they might have another lemon on their hands, just like the entire EQ lineup of sedans, which had a lot of aerodynamic prowess and zero emotion…
 
Anyway, maybe they’ll understand this isn’t the way forward a little faster than they did with the four-cylinder PHEV in the C 63 because even thesis projects from independent designers that worked in collaboration with AMG in an official manner look better than the GT XX. But there is no need to take our word for granted, as we have an eloquent example.
 
The good folks over at Car Design World (aka cardesignworld on social media) tipped us off to this official Mercedes-AMG thesis project by Hakiem Salaheldin, an exterior designer better known as ‘hakiemkamelmohamedkamel’ on social media and with prior experience at BMW, Renault France, and Volvo Cars before they embarked on the Mercedes-AMG thesis project.
 

By the way, his official yet hypothetical design project – which was also transformed into a scale model (the perks of officially working with a major automaker) – is called Mercedes-AMG One Million. We don’t know if the name is related to the price or the envisioned sales, but one thing is for sure: this vintage-modern coupe is most likely all-electric.
 
The dead giveaway is the lack of a real grille, but more importantly, we have some answers regarding the design inspiration from the author himself: “My project is a nostalgic approach to counter short-lived trends and combines timeless design with an AMG that allows you to create endless stories and drive one million kilometers.” He further expands the inspiration sources, by the way.
 
So, the front end gets the vertical light treatment, especially from the AMG-enhanced Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.8 ‘Rote Sau,’ the model that instantly became an icon and put AMG firmly on the map as a great Mercedes-Benz tuning company. The profile is classic for chopped Hot Rods, and the reinterpreted rear end comes from the famous Mercedes-Benz 600 SEC, a high-performance coupe often modified by AMG. All in all, it’s not bad at all, right?