The SLS AMG Electric Drive was a shy attempt to give a supercar an all-electric heart. Fewer than 100 units were sold, and the same can be said about the Audi R8 E-Tron. These two cars were ahead of their time, making them too expensive while offering an extremly limited range to make them truly useable. Tremendous advancements have been made in battery tech since then, prompting Audi to already confirm its supercar will evolve into an EV.
What is Mercedes-AMG doing? It's putting the finishing touches on the One hypercar with its 1.6-liter hybrid V6 engine borrowed from Lewis Hamilton’s championship-winning F1 car. At the same time, the EQS and EQE have gained performance versions, which we're also expecting for their SUV equivalents. A smaller C-Class EV equivalent has been confirmed, and there's a good chance an AMG will follow.
Mercedes-AMG One New Spy Photos
The peeps from Affalterbach will talk more about combining performance with electric drivetrains in a short while. Speaking with Auto Express, Chief Technology Officer Markus Schafer said that while the Vision EQXX is all about efficiency, the next episode will "cover the more sporty side." He went on to say the team he’s running is "so excited" about what the future has in tow for fast EVs.
He added the team he's running has "tons of ideas for what's next," with details about electric sports cars to be disclosed in the next few weeks. However, Schafer suggested an actual production EV with performance chops is due "in the next couple of years." Reading between the lines, he was likely referring to a bespoke model rather than an amped-up version of a regular Mercedes as it's been the case with the sportier EQE and EQS.
In the meantime, we're patiently waiting for the final AMG One hypercar to see the light of day. Production will finally commence in mid-2022, promising some blistering performance to fight the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
