The year was 2013 when Mercedes took its first (albeit shy) step toward performance EVs by introducing the SLS AMG Electric Drive. However, only nine cars were ever sold to customers, therefore making it even rarer than the Audi R8 E-Tron of which fewer than 100 examples were built. Fast forward a decade later, the peeps from Affalterbach still don't have a full-fat AMG EV as the EQE 53 and EQS 53 are not considered bespoke AMGs.
However, we've known about the dedicated AMG.EA platform for a while now, with Mercedes previewing the architecture last year with a swoopy four-door concept. Earlier this week, our spy photographers caught a prototype undergoing testing for the first time, ahead of a 2025 market launch. While the three-pointed star remains tight-lipped about the specifications, Autocar has it on good authority the first EV developed from the ground up by AMG will have ludicrous power.
Mercedes-AMG GT4 EV first spy photos
Yasa, a UK-based manufacturer of electric motors acquired by Mercedes in 2021, told the British car magazine that AMG will use an electric motor weighing just 53 pounds while producing a massive 480 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. With one motor driving the front wheels and another one at the rear, the high-performance electric sedan could have close to 1,000 hp.
That would be nearly as much as the 1,049-hp AMG One hypercar with its F1-derived turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 gasoline engine and four electric motors. As far as torque is concerned, it could hit a colossal 1,000 pound-feet, which would be delivered instantly as in every other EV out there. That would translate to supercar levels of acceleration in a large and heavy sedan.
The Vision AMG concept pictured below had Yasa's Axial Flux Motor in a speedy EV that measured a stately 200.8 inches long and had a 118-inch wheelbase. It was slightly bigger than the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe on sale today, which has already been electrified with a plug-in hybrid E Performance derivative offering 843 hp and 1,084 lb-ft.
If you like big numbers, we'll remind you archrival BMW has said it already has the technology for an EV with 1,341 horsepower. However, the first fully-fledged M car without a combustion engine is unlikely to be this powerful as insiders claim the inevitable electric M3 due around 2027 or 2028 will have roughly 700 hp.
