- Mercedes-AMG teases its second bespoke EV, a sporty-looking full-size electric SUV.
- The AMG electric SUV will debut in 2026 after the fastback model.
- Its power level will reportedly exceed 1,000 horsepower.
Mercedes-AMG has its own dedicated electric vehicle architecture called AMG.EA that it plans to underpin several models. The first is an electric equivalent for the AMG GT four-door fastback, followed by a full-size SUV.
The latter was confirmed today through a teaser, which shows a stylized interpretation of the upcoming electric high-rider’s side profile. The roofline of the upcoming electric high-rider, which slopes towards the rear and features slanted fastback-like C-pillars, gives it a sporty appearance that resembles many of the coupe-like SUVs currently on the market. It doesn't look too dissimilar in profile from one of its direct rivals, the Lotus Eletre.
All Mercedes-AMG said about the SUV is that it’s “taking our high-performance heritage to new shapes. A new SUV based on our AMG.EA platform is on the way, and it’s AMG first, all-electric second.” We do know the platform is being developed in-house by AMG, and it won’t be shared with Mercedes-Benz EVs, which get their own separate bespoke EV platforms.
It will feature an 800-volt architecture that enhances charging speed and efficiency, along with axial flux electric motors that weigh only 50 pounds (24 kg) and produce nearly 500 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. So a dual-motor configuration would be pushing close to 1,000 horsepower, bringing these vehicles in line with some of today’s most powerful EVs. A tri-motor setup would be needed to allow AMG to compete at the very top of the EV power pyramid, where vehicles like the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra exceed 1,500 hp.
AMG needs big power numbers to drive up the excitement of its upcoming EVs if it wants to prove its CEO right. The boss of AMG, Michael Schiebe, stated not long ago that "Customers who came to the brand because of the V-8 did not come because they just wanted to have a big engine. They came because they loved the technology that we put into the car. So when it comes to electric driving, I'm pretty sure they will jump into that new technology.”
This statement stirred lots of reactions from car enthusiasts who considered it wasn’t rooted in reality, but AMG may have the last laugh if its EVs end up dominating the performance and sales charts for their respective segment. We will first see the electric AMG GT four-door sometime in 2026 followed by the SUV that same year or in 2027 and both are expected to have tire-shredding oomph and a propensity for going sideways.
We’ve already seen a camouflaged prototype of the fastback, and the shape seems a bit sleeker and more hunkered-down than today’s gas-burning model, although it doesn’t appear quite as sleek as the 2022 Vision AMG concept, the design study that is supposed to preview it. The SUV model will be more upright with a bold front end and feature even more aggressive design cues if it follows the current Mercedes design trends. Both vehicles will have a similar footprint, although the SUV’s chunkier body will make it appear larger than the low-slung fastback.
