BMW’s archrival, Mercedes, is lastly getting critical about launching devoted AMG electrical fashions. Earlier than the primary manufacturing car breaks cowl, a wild idea affords a glimpse of what’s to return. The GT XX is a swoopy sedan that appears considerably totally different from present choices out of Affalterbach. It forgoes a rear window and adopts a slinky, coupe-like profile however with the added practicality of rear doorways.
Though the styling is completely trendy, even futuristic, the GT XX’s putting orange paint reminds us of the C111 experimental take a look at vehicles from the Seventies. The round taillights additionally evoke these radical prototypes, however the spectacular gullwing doorways are sadly a factor of the previous. Regardless of being labeled as an idea, it seemingly isn’t far off from the eventual manufacturing mannequin. Its rakish profile and small greenhouse are much more dramatic than these of a Porsche Taycan.
Inside, the cabin cocoons the motive force and passengers in a race car-like ambiance, full with body-hugging entrance seats. Mercedes borrowed the steering wheel from its F1-engined AMG One hypercar and put in a dual-display setup. The instrument cluster measures 10.25 inches, whereas the touchscreen spans a bigger 14-inch diagonal. Illuminated orange tubes accent the uncovered physique construction, although we doubt these will make it to manufacturing.
Whereas the C111 prototypes from half a century in the past experimented with every little thing from rotary engines to diesels, this new idea abandons inside combustion solely. As an alternative, it contains a tri-motor setup with axial flux motors developed in collaboration with British electrical motor specialist YASA, an entirely owned subsidiary of Mercedes since 2021.
With greater than 1,341 horsepower on faucet, the AMG GT XX is among the strongest four-door EVs ever constructed. It’s additionally among the many quickest, topping out at over 223 mph (359 km/h). Two motors drive the rear axle, whereas a 3rd powers the entrance, giving the family-friendly supercar an all-wheel-drive structure. When further traction isn’t wanted, the entrance motor decouples, permitting the automobile to behave like a rear-wheel-drive car.
Mercedes claims the automobile positive aspects roughly 249 miles (400 kilometers) of WLTP vary after simply 5 minutes of charging. The facility comes from an all-new battery developed in collaboration with the System 1 crew. It options a wholly new structure with cylindrical cells and NCMA (nickel, cobalt, manganese, aluminum) chemistry. The system operates at over 800 volts and helps a peak charging energy of greater than 850 kW.
With a remarkably low drag coefficient of simply 0.198, this smooth sedan debuts the AMG.EA structure, designed to attenuate the load penalty of a giant battery pack. Engineers optimized the construction with a mixture of aluminum, metal, and fiber composites, though they haven’t disclosed the GT XX’s curb weight. The manufacturing model will exchange a gasoline-powered mannequin; particularly, the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe with its inline-six and V8 engines.
Following the sedan’s debut, a big AMG electrical SUV will quickly be part of the lineup. BMW M isn’t sitting idle both, as totally electrical M fashions are due this decade. Main the cost shall be a sizzling EV akin to the M3, arriving in 2027. Like AMG’s efficiency electrical vehicles, BMW M’s new EVs can even undertake cylindrical battery cells.
Photographs: Mercedes-AMG
