Mercedes-AMG has pulled the wraps off its wildest electric car yet – and at the heart of it is some seriously clever British technology.
The new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé is the first production AMG to use axial flux electric motors developed by Oxfordshire-based Yasa, the British engineering company bought by Mercedes-Benz in 2021. And the numbers are eye-watering.
In top GT 63 form, the new electric AMG produces up to 1,169bhp and can blast from 0-62mph in just 2.1 seconds, before going on to a top speed of 186mph with the optional Driver’s Package.
But while the performance figures are headline-grabbing, Mercedes is making just as much noise about the technology hidden underneath the sleek four-door bodywork. The new AMG uses three axial flux motors – one at the front and two at the rear – with Mercedes claiming the setup delivers much higher continuous performance than conventional electric motors.
That’s where Yasa comes in. The British company originally developed the core axial flux motor design before becoming part of Mercedes-Benz. Unlike traditional electric motors, the axial flux setup is much slimmer and more compact, helping engineers package huge power into a relatively small space.
Mercedes says the rear motors are only around eight centimetres wide, while the front motor measures around nine centimetres. Yet together they produce more power than many hypercars. The top GT 63 version produces 2,000Nm of torque, while even the lesser GT 55 serves up 1800Nm of torque and a still sizeable 816bhp.
The company claims the car can repeat high-performance runs over and over again without losing punch – something that’s often been a weakness with very powerful EVs. The technology was previewed by Mercedes’ Concept AMG GT XX, which managed more than 24,800 miles of high-speed testing in just over a week while breaking 25 endurance records.
There’s equally serious tech in the battery. The AMG uses an 800-volt electrical system with directly cooled cylindrical battery cells inspired by Formula 1 technology and developed with help from Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth, England.
Mercedes says the battery can charge at up to 600kW – far quicker than most of today’s EVs, which hit between around 150 kW and 300 kW. That means almost 286 miles of WLTP range can be added in just 10 minutes, while a 10 to 80 per cent charge takes a claimed 11 minutes. Range is claimed to be up to 435 miles depending on version, while the slippery body helps the big AMG cut through the air with a drag coefficient of just 0.22.
And because this is an AMG, the engineers clearly didn’t want the move to electric power to lose the brand’s traditional character. There’s even a new “AMGFORCE S+” mode designed to mimic the sound and feel of a V8 engine-powered AMG, complete with simulated gearshifts and what Mercedes describes as an “authentic” V8 soundtrack.
Mercedes says more than 1,600 individual sound files are mixed together in real time depending on how the car is being driven. Drivers also get welcome sounds when they unlock the car, plus a futuristic soundtrack while charging.
Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, said: “I’ve driven the new AMG GT 4-Door Coupé myself many times – and it genuinely stands out. It pushes performance to new limits and delivers the emotion our fans expect – now in the electric era.”
Michael Schiebe, Chairman of the Management Board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, said the car “ushers in an entirely new era. It is an absolute high-performance machine, packed with pioneering innovations that enable previously unimaginable driving performance in this segment.”
The car sits on a completely new platform, called AMG.EA, and features rear-wheel steering, active aerodynamics and a new suspension setup designed to balance sports-car handling with long-distance comfort.
There are some clever details, too. Active aerodynamic elements underneath the car move automatically to increase downforce, while a rear spoiler changes angle depending on speed and driving style. Rear-wheel steering can also turn the back wheels by up to six degrees to improve lower speed agility and higher speed stability.
Inside, there’s a heavily driver-focused cabin with huge digital displays, AMG-specific performance menus and the MBUX operating system, which makes use of ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini integration.
Production starts this summer at Mercedes’ Sindelfingen plant in Germany, while the axial flux motors themselves will be built at Mercedes’ Berlin-Marienfelde factory.
