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Motor Trend
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Next-Generation Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Prototype Ride: All Electric, Wicked Fast
The first all-electric, homegrown performance car for Mercedes-AMG is being tested with prototypes running around on the road and on tracks ahead of its launch next year. It is a big deal because the GT 4-Door successor is the first vehicle on the new AMG-EA architecture—and not repurposed from a Mercedes EV platform, like the EQE and EQS AMGs—and it is the future of the AMG performance brand. The next-gen Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door, an all-electric model on the new AMG-EA platform, offers 1,340 horsepower and aims to replicate the V-8 experience with synthetic sounds and sensations. Launching in 2026, it promises high performance with different battery sizes for varied ranges. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next The production car is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT XX concept which had the mandate of creating the fastest electric car. From it, the AMG flagship codenamed C590 will become the successor to the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door, the "four-door coupe" member of the otherwise two-door AMG GT sports car family. The concept was recently shown in Stuttgart. It boasts 1,340 horsepower from its three axial flux motors, has a top speed of 225 mph, and has aspirations to set track records. MotorTrend had a short ride along in one of the production prototypes for a taste of what AMG has cooked up. The car was heavily camouflaged inside and out. The point: to hear and feel this electric beast that was designed to be better than models with an internal combustion engine. New AMGs must have an edge: a unique shape and record-setting performance to stand out in their segment, said Mercedes-Benz Group Chief Technology Officer Markus Schäfer. Our Ride in the Future of AMG Our 15-minute ride with an engineer behind the wheel started in Comfort mode, engineered to provide a comfortable, stress-free and silent daily driving experience. It is programmed to have a bit of artificial sound, but not enough to dominate the experience. In the Sport+ drive mode, you get the simulated roar of a powerful V-8, complete with chirps and the burbles that make downshifting so delicious in AMG's gas-fed models. The sound comes from the car's speakers. It mixes exhaust sounds with simulated engine sounds. Race car drivers connect speed with sound—how the car sounds at a certain speed and gear is key to performance and prompts response, says head of development for the C590 Oliver Wiech, our chauffeur for the ride-along. Striking the Right Note Sound is emotional, says AMG CEO Michael Schiebe. To get the artificial sound right, executives gathered at the proving grounds near Sindelfingen and listened to some of the company's greatest cars, like the C190 (AMG GT coupe introduced in 2015 with the M178 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8) and the W204 AMG with its 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8. Then they met at a sound engineering studio and listened again to the sounds, analyzing it, and coming to a unanimous decision on which one they liked best. The automaker wanted to carry aspects of past cars into the future, says Schiebe. There will not be one sound for all future cars; the sound must fit the DNA of the individual model. Wiech thinks it is perfect for such a powerful electric sports car. Schiebe says he understands that not all customers will want artificial sound. 'Some customers want the performance of high-performance cars but don't want to have the roaring engine sound.' To cater to all, the driver can choose to ride quietly or with sound for a more emotional ride. Gunning It Wiech guns the car on a straight stretch and both the acceleration and sound are explosive. We emit a giggle. The axial flux motor is the V-8 of the electric motor world, says Schäfer, providing the required emotional experience, acoustics, NVH, and shifting sensation you expect from a V-8 or V-12 race-oriented AMG. For the simulated sensation of accelerating through the gears, there is a special device that fits in the seat to make it vibrate, further evoking the emotion of being in a car with an internal combustion engine. Think of a movie theater seat that rumbles with bass in sync with scenes from the flick. AMG did some test drives with hardcore V-8 drivers, and they emerged with big smiles, Schäfer said. 'We knew it was a challenge to entice hardcore V-8 fans, and a regular EV won't do it,' he said. Noise, feel, and shifting must touch the owner's emotional side. The first production car on the new AMG-EA platform is scheduled to roll out globally in 2026 with key markets like Europe, the U.S., and oversees first. It will come with different battery sizes for versions with varying ranges. The car name is expected to include the letters GT, but Schiebe said he is not confirming the official name until next year. If our short stint in the passenger seat is any indication, the performance bones are there for a reinterpretation of the GT 4-Door with axial flux motors instead of a V-8.
Car and Driver
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Mercedes Says Its Hi-Po EVs Need to Be an 'AMG First, EV Second'
We spoke with AMG boss Michael Schiebe about the upcoming architecture that will soon underpin two high-performance EVs. Schiebe said AMG wants the EVs to deliver the same level of feedback as its gas-powered cars, pointing to sound and repeatable performance as key factors. He also reiterated that the V-8 engine will live on at AMG and will not necessarily need to be hybridized. While Mercedes already attached the AMG name to potent versions of its existing electric cars, such as the Mercedes-AMG EQS53 sedan, the German performance brand will begin a more seismic shift when the dedicated electric architecture arrives next year. The platform will underpin two high-performance EVs, with a low-slung sedan due in 2026, shortly followed by an SUV. We spoke with AMG boss Michael Schiebe at the Miami Grand Prix to learn how the performance brand will ensure its EVs maintain the same exhilarating experience as its gas-powered cars. AMG Goes Electric "We said when we come to the market with our first high-performance electric car, it needs to be a real high-performance car," Schiebe explained. "I always say it needs to be an AMG first and an EV second." Mercedes-Benz The first car on the platform will be a high-performance sedan arriving in 2026. There isn't much known just yet about the platform, other than its use of high-voltage batteries for rapid recharging and lightweight, albeit power-dense, axial-flux motors. But Schiebe claims the platform will create EVs that are "not comparable to all the electric cars that you have in the market right now" and that will be "playing with all of your senses." Schiebe declined to specify exactly how AMG will make the electric sedan engaging to drive, but he gave a few clues. "It's the sound, it's the feedback that you get from the car," he noted. "One thing that is of high importance to us is continuous performance. Most electric cars on the market, they are capable of accelerating very fast. You can do that once, maybe you can do it twice, but if you try to repeat that, most of them quickly lose steam." The platform will focus on delivering repeatable performance, and the German brand has its eye on the ultimate measuring stick—the iconic Nürburgring race track. "If you drive a high-performance [gas-powered] AMG car, you can take the car on the Nordschleife, and you're accelerating, braking, accelerating, braking, accelerating, braking," Schiebe said. "This is what the needs to deliver." Mercedes-AMG The electric AMG sedan will take inspiration from the 2022 Vision AMG concept. We also asked Schiebe if AMG is considering fake shifts for its electric performance cars in a similar manner to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N's "N e-Shift" mode. Schiebe wouldn't confirm anything, but he said the brand wouldn't write off the idea and emphasized that its EVs will retain the same degree of feedback as its gas-powered cars. He concluded with a promising statement. "We just recently had some U.S. dealers actually given the chance to drive some of those cars, and when they got out of the car, all of them were smiling," Schiebe said. "They said that this is completely changing what they thought about electric cars." The V-8 Is Not Dead Yet Despite plans for AMG-specific EVs, Schiebe also reiterated that the V-8 engine will live on. "We have just launched the GT [coupe] last year," he said. "So there is some years to come with the V-8." While Schiebe noted Europe's plan to ban combustion engines in new cars in 2035, he pointed out that the United States doesn't have the same mandate and said there isn't a specific end date for eight-cylinder engines. We previously theorized that the sedan would spell the end for the AMG GT 4-Door model, but Mercedes' commitment to the V-8 means that isn't necessarily the case. "Let's see how long we continue with a GT 4-Door," he said. "Maybe there is a successor, but I don't want to speculate about that." Regardless, it seems the current GT 4-Door will continue alongside the EV sedan for the foreseeable future. Mercedes-AMG The gas-powered AMG GT 4-Door could live for longer than previously thought. AMG will obviously need to update its V-8 in the coming years to comply with tighter regulations, particularly in Europe. But Schiebe also sees room for even more performance from its eight-cylinder engines, which could see them employed in new places in the AMG family. "We are in the midst of developing our next generation of the V-8," he said. "And I see a lot of positions within our existing portfolio, or maybe even new ones, where we could actually imagine to have a V-8." Could this mean a return for the V-8 in the C63 sports sedan? Schiebe wouldn't confirm, but we have our fingers crossed. When Mercedes confirmed a next-generation V-8 engine earlier this year, it was described as a "high-tech electrified" powertrain. "I see there is a lot of technological advancement coming in the future," Schiebe said. Interestingly, however, he also said "I don't say that we necessarily need to go that far on hybridization," noting that drivers who like to take their cars on track prefer something like the pure-gas GT63 Pro instead of the torqueier-but-heavier GT63 S E Performance hybrid. Regardless of whether it will feature electric assistance or not, the continued existence of V-8s at Mercedes comes down to one key factor: the customers. "We see there is still the demand," Schiebe explained. "And my target is to fill customers' dreams." Caleb Miller Associate News Editor Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
