Mercedes-AMG is giving us a first taste of its electric future with the Concept AMG GT XX, a fully functional test bed to show off its myriad of innovations for its upcoming fully electric AMG production models. And hoo boy, there’s a lot.
From its drivetrain and charging technology, to its design and sounds (yes, really), everything here has been completely reimagined – with help from its Formula 1 team – to extract the utmost performance and endurance out of the AMG.EA electric platform. And as you’ll soon see, they truly did with one of the craziest things to ever roll out of Affalterbach.
First things first, the headline figures: outputs of over 1,360 hp, and a top speed of over 360 km/h. The mind-boggling numbers are made possible by the tri-motor setup, made up of two axial flux motors at the rear axle, and one more in front that can be decoupled on light loads to reduce mechanical drag.
Made by Yasa, a Mercedes-owned manufacturer based in the UK that also supplies to Ferrari and Lamborghini, the axial flux motors – as opposed to radial flux – are key to achieving the immense performance of the Concept AMG GT XX. Thanks to their unique magnet arrangement that runs the electromagnetic flux parallel to the motor’s axis of rotation (which we won’t pretend to understand), the motors are able to keep a tiny footprint and 66% lighter weight, while still delivering up to three times more power than a conventional motor.
The small size also means Mercedes-AMG is able to package the hydraulic pumps for cooling directly into the drive unit, which they call the HP.EDU (High Performance Electric Drive Units). That has enabled the motors to be pushed to their limits repeatedly without any degradation in performance, while also enabling “extremely fast charging”.
Mercedes says the Concept AMG GT XX is able to be charged at a theoretical rate of over 850 kW using a standard CCS connector, although of course, no such charger exists in the real world yet. Nevertheless, at that speed, the car will apparently be able to regain 400 km of range with just 5 minutes of charging.
The ultra-fast charging is also helped by the cooling system on the 114 kWh battery pack. Each of the 3,000-plus aluminium battery cells are individually packaged into laser-welded plastic modules, with a direct cell cooling system – where non-conductive oil flows around each individual cell – to maintain the optimum temperature.
According to AMG, the direct oil contact offers more efficient heat transfer under sustained load than conventional liquid cooling, thanks to the greater surface area. A passive cooling plate on the underbody – with air fed via the active air curtains in front – also help draw as much heat away from the battery as possible.
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The Concept AMG GT XX looks radically different to any other Mercedes-AMG before it, but at the same time, still undeniably Mercedes. As the spiritual successor to the GT 4-door, it features many of the sedan’s signature touches here, including the long bonnet, cab-back profile, and tapered fastback-like roofline – but all with a more futuristic vibe.
The iconic Panamericana grille takes up the entire front fascia, but now reprofiled here into a more concave shape with a shark nose-like edge on top, and wrapped around by LED surrounds. A pair of recessed headlights flank the grille, which uniquely incorporates speakers to emit V8 noises to the outside, as heard in the teaser earlier this week.
Its most striking angle is perhaps round the back, with the sloping roof devoid of any rear window. The six tail lights, housed within a scalloped area on the rear fascia, is joined by a unique LED panel consisting of over 700 individual “freely programmable” LEDs that can display messages and designs at the back.
But as a performance model, aerodynamics is – of course – the main priority here. “At 300 km/h, around 83% of the drive energy is required to overcome drag,” Mercedes-AMG says in a press release. And that’s why as striking as it looks, the Concept AMG GT XX was still designed for function over form.
The bonnet features massive air vents to extract heat; the windscreen steeply raked to reduce drag; and even the roof and side sills are specially sculpted for airflow management. For downforce, an airbrake spoiler at the back deploys under heavy braking or at high speed, working in tandem with the carbon fibre venturi tunnel below the car – the latter inspired by the latest generation of Formula 1 cars.
Even the 21-inch wheels come with active blade sections that automatically open and close, balancing between brake cooling and drag reduction. All of these aerodynamic black magic, alongside the sleek fastback silhouette, means the Concept AMG GT XX has a drag coefficient of just 0.19 Cd. That’s not quite EQXX levels with its record-breaking 0.17, but the AMG also had to think about cooling and downforce, rather than just pure air-cutting ability.
Nevertheless, if translated to production, the 0.19 Cd will make the electric AMG one of the slipperiest cars in the world.
The Concept AMG GT XX is still – as the name suggests – a concept model, and as such the designers can be more… imaginative when it comes to the interior styling, since there’s no need to worry about legal implications and customer preference. That’s why you’ll find many GT3 race car elements here, including the yoke-style steering wheel, and the intriguing circular element on the centre console reminiscent of Iron Man’s heart.
Mercedes also took the opportunity to experiment with more future-forward ideas, such as the 3D-printed ergonomic seat inserts, as well as more eco-friendly materials such as biotech leather-alternative upholstery made from recycled GT3 tyres, protein-derived door pulls, and other recycled materials for the floor mats. No headliner for the carbon roof, either, so you can see the carbon fibre texture from the inside too.
Nevertheless, many of the interior equipment here will still likely end up on the eventual production car, including the dual digital displays on the dashboard (10.25-inch for instrument cluster and 14-inch for infotainment), as well as the overall interior design.
Due to be unveiled sometime next year, the production model of the Concept AMG GT XX will also be joined by an SUV model that will be unveiled in 2027. If even half of what was shown here makes it into the actual production model, we’re set for an absolutely stonking EV sportscar – especially when many of its rivals have delayed their EV plans.
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