Mercedes-AMG says prototypes of its electric-powered GT have begun cold-weather durability testing in temperatures as low as -13° F (-25° C) in northern Sweden ahead of a planned start to North American sales for the 4-door sedan in late 2025.
As well as being Mercedes-AMG’s first dedicated electric model, the upcoming Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S Plaid rival is also the first to be based on the AMG.EA electric platform.
The all-new structure shares elements with the MB.EA platform to be used by less performance-oriented Mercedes-Benz models in coming years.
But in a departure from the more volume-focused MB.EA platform, the AMG.EA is designed accommodate new-generation electric motors from Yasa, a U.K.-based company purchased by Mercedes-AMG in 2021.
Yasa’s patented disc-shaped axial-flux motors, to be produced at volume for the first time at Mercedes-Benz’s Berlin factory in Germany, are claimed to offer significantly higher power and torque density than the more conventional synchronous electric motors used in Mercedes-Benz’s and Mercedes-AMG’s existing electric models.
While secrecy surrounds the technical specifications of the electric-powered GT sedan, AMG officials tell WardsAuto it can accommodate several different electric-motor layouts.
Included are single- and dual-motor and rear-wheel drive, along with dual-, tri- and quad-motor with all-wheel drive – the latter similar in principle to the propulsion system on the upcoming production version of the Vision EQG, an electric-powered version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class – but with dedicated electric motors.
Yasa says the axial-flux motor developed for Mercedes-AMG weighs just 53 lbs. (24 kg). Each unit is also said to develop up to 480 hp and 590 lb.-ft. (800 Nm) of torque, suggesting the new GT’s power output could be similar to or perhaps higher than those of the electric-powered performance-sedan competition, including the 1,093-hp Taycan Turbo GT and 1,020-hp Model S Plaid.
The axial-flux motors are designed to operate with a new 800V electric architecture and an in-house-developed high-performance battery pack featuring silicon anode material from U.S. company Sila.
The styling of the new GT was previewed in 2021 with the unveiling of the Vision AMG concept. The low-slung profile and 4-door layout are combined with dimensions that provide a length of 201 ins. (5,100 mm) – 6 ins. (150 mm) longer than the existing internal-combustion-engine GT sedan – and a 118-in. (3,000-mm) wheelbase.
Inside, the Vision AMG offers seating for up to four in a 2+2 interior featuring a dashboard arrangement similar to that showcased on the Vision One-Eleven concept unveiled in 2023 at Mercedes-Benz’s Carlsbad design studio in California.
