Yahoo Autos Mercedes-AMG primes 1000bhp super-SUV as next bespoke EV
Super-SUV will have unique styling and be unveiled in 2026
Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance car division has started engineering a new high-powered flagship SUV based on its own electric car platform, Autocar can reveal.
Set to be unveiled in 2026, the new super-SUV has been conceived to lock horns with several high-end rivals, including the BMW XM, the Lotus Eletre and Porsche’s upcoming K1.
The new SUV is not based on other Mercedes-Benz models. Instead, it is being developed wholly by Mercedes-AMG and, like today’s GT Coupé and GT 4-Door Coupé, will be a totally bespoke proposition with its own individual styling and interior layout. In positioning terms, though, it will be a natural successor to today’s Mercedes-AMG GLE 63.
Sources have told Autocar that the styling of AMG’s first bespoke SUV will be previewed by an upcoming concept. The model is said to be similar in length to the Vision AMG concept, at around 5100mm, and will have a wheelbase of more than 3000mm to provide generous interior accommodation and versatility.
By comparison, the XM is 5110mm long and has a 3105mm wheelbase. Among the new model’s key features are an 800V electric architecture, patented axial flux electric motors and a specially developed version of the German car maker’s MB.OS operating system, known internally as AMG.OS.
The luxurious new performance SUV will be the second production model based on the company’s new AMG.EA platform, following the second-generation GT 4-Door Coupé – a sleek new Porsche Taycan saloon rival that is due to be launched in 2025.
Mercedes technology boss Markus Schäfer said the new architecture “is a technological trailblazer, which will pioneer several new innovations. The AMG.EA drive concept is based on axial flux motor technology, which offers an unparalleled mix of power density, size and weight. Furthermore, the innovative power unit operates in conjunction with a new high-performance high-voltage battery.”
The AMG.EA structure shares elements with the MB.EA platform set to be used by less performance-focused Mercedes-Benz models in coming generations.
But in a departure from that more volume-oriented platform, the AMG.EA architecture has been conceived to accommodate advanced electric motors from Yasa – the Oxfordshire-based company purchased by Mercedes-AMG in 2021.
