Three versions on a new platform
Mercedes-AMG has unveiled the GT SUV, a fully electric model that the brand says is the first full-size SUV it has developed entirely in-house. The car rests on the AMG.EA platform, which was designed around electric drive. It comes in three versions, the GT53, GT55 and GT63. The GT53 uses two electric motors, one on each axle, while the GT55 and GT63 use three, with one at the front and two at the rear so torque can be sent to each rear wheel separately. All versions keep AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive. According to The Verge, the suspension replaces mechanical roll bars with active hydraulic elements, which is meant to limit pitch and roll during acceleration, braking and cornering.
Power and performance
Figures for the top GT63 differ by source, largely because of unit conversions. The Verge gives 1,153 hp, SAPO 1,164 cv and Handelsblatt 1,169 PS. SAPO says its numbers were converted or rounded from US data and that European figures may differ. RP Online gives the GT63 a peak of 860 kW, the GT55 600 kW and the GT53 400 kW. The sprint to 100 km/h takes about 2.5 seconds according to SAPO, RP Online and Handelsblatt, and the top speed is 270 km/h. Handelsblatt adds that the car passes 200 km/h 4.3 seconds after reaching 100 km/h. RP Online reports that Mercedes puts the GT63 torque at almost 2,000 Nm for a vehicle weighing 2.6 tonnes.
Battery and charging
The GT53 carries a 106 kWh battery, while the GT55 and GT63 use a 128 kWh unit. All work on an 800-volt system with a new cell chemistry, according to RP Online. Direct-current charging reaches 600 kW on the GT53 and 710 kW on the GT55 and GT63, but only where compatible infrastructure is available. The Verge reports a 10 to 80 percent charge in 12 minutes and up to 450 km of WLTP range added in 10 minutes, a figure Handelsblatt also cites. RP Online puts the ideal ten-minute gain at 454 km from a normative range of up to 700 km on a full battery. The Verge also gives an estimated maximum range of 435 miles for the 128 kWh trims. The battery design draws on F1-inspired technology, with cylindrical cells and an electrically nonconductive oil that flows around each cell.
Body, price and launch timing
The SUV measures 5.09 metres long and has a 3.04-metre wheelbase. It seats five people and offers 607 to 1,740 litres of luggage space, not counting 78 litres under the front bonnet, according to RP Online. Bloomberg reports a starting price of €113,050 ($127,060) for the entry version, which RP Online notes is a few hundred euros below the four-door GT coupe. RP Online says the SUV reaches showrooms in spring. SAPO and The Verge place the US launch in summer 2027, and The Verge describes the model as a 2028 car.
Sound and the wider electric shift
AMG says its simulated engine sounds, based on more than 100 measurements of combustion AMG cars, play through small speakers inside and outside the vehicle, according to Handelsblatt. Handelsblatt reports that insiders link the all-electric approach to strategy changes across the group. Mercedes-Benz chief executive Ola Källenius set a goal in summer 2021 of electrifying the entire new-car range by the end of the decade. He has since moved away from that plan and offers combustion engines well into the 2030s. Porsche chief executive Michael Leiters reportedly plans an electric Panamera only in the late 2030s and does not intend to electrify the 911. Lamborghini has also dropped its electric plans, while Ferrari has presented the Luce as its electric sports car. AMG's two-door GT remains combustion-only, and AMG has said it will keep developing combustion engines.