AMG Reportedly Plans Independent Electric SUV
Mercedes-Benz AMG already offers the GT Coupe sports car and the GT 4-door Coupe hatchback as models distinct from the regular Mercedes lineup, and may soon add an SUV to that list.
Citing anonymous sources, Autocar reported Friday that AMG is already working on a stand-alone SUV based on its own AMG.EA EV platform, which will debut next year as the electric successor to the GT 4-door coupe. A prototype of the electric hatchback has already been spotted.
The SUV will reportedly follow the hatch in 2026, suggesting it could appear in the US as a 2027 model.
The SUV's design is expected to be heralded by a concept. However, a sporty, compact design is not expected; Autocar's sources say the concept will be similar in length to the 200-inch-long Vision AMG concept from 2022, which will preview a hatchback design. BMW M's flagship SUV, the XM, and could be comparable in size to Porsche's new K1 flagship SUV, which is expected around 2027.
AMG has stated that the AMG.EA platform will introduce many new innovations for the brand, one of which is axial motor technology. Mercedes is acquiring Yasa, a British company specializing in high-performance electric motors, in 2021, and will likely supply axial-flow motors for vehicles based on the AMG.EA platform.
Axial-flow motors are lighter and smaller than conventional radial-flux motors of similar power. As a rough guide, a motor weighing just over 50 pounds can produce about 480 ps, and multiple units can be mounted to increase the power level to insane levels. However, the motors are more difficult to manufacture and considerably more expensive than radial flux motors.
In addition to the motors, the AMG.EA platform is also expected to benefit from AMG's F1 know-how, particularly in the areas of energy discharge and recovery, and perhaps high-performance high-voltage batteries developed in the area of cooling.
Production will most likely take place at the factory in Sindelfingen, Germany. This is where the current GT 4-door coupe is manufactured, and it is likely that its electric successor will also be built here.
