Hiding underneath the swirly camouflage and behind those basic-looking lights is the first Mercedes on the AMG.EA platform. It’s a sports sedan engineered from day one strictly as an electric model to serve as a replacement for the current AMG 4-Door Coupe. The latter has already received the hybrid treatment, but its successor will forgo the combustion engine altogether to embrace a pure EV setup.
Judging by the swoopy shape of the prototype’s rear, it’ll be a more practical liftback rather than a traditional sedan. That wouldn’t come as a surprise since the outgoing model is also a five-door hatchback, despite its confusing “coupe” name. A closer look at these official teaser images reveals an active rear spoiler and front canards. The production version should have more than a few things in common with the 2022 Vision AMG Concept.
The road-going model will go after the likes of the Porsche Taycan by offering a more dynamic ride than AMG versions of the EQE. It will use disc-shaped axial-flux electric motors with “unparalleled mix of power density, size, and weight” compared to traditional cylindrical radial-flux motors. The peeps from Affalterbach have already revealed one motor can churn 480 horsepower and 590 pound-feet (800 Newton-meters) of torque while weighing only 24 kilograms (53 pounds).
Aside from having new motors, the AMG.EA-based model is expected to employ a slimmer battery pack with a 40 percent boost in energy density. The dedicated architecture should also enable a roomier cabin by not having to make compromises associated with ICE cars adapted for EV duty. This will be possible by stretching the wheelbase and shortening the front and rear overhangs. The SLS AMG Electric Drive from 2012 was an ICE-to-EV supercar.
Currently testing on a frozen lake in Sweden at temperatures as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit (‑25 degrees Celsius), the sporty EV is heading to other regions of the world for additional evaluations. We’re not expecting the high-performance electric model to go on sale this year but the official reveal might take place late 2024 or early 2025.