There are plenty of impressive performance EVs on sale today, but even the ones that attempt to appeal to enthusiasts with fake engine sounds and special effects often fail to resonate. Mercedes-AMG thinks it knows better, and it recently announced a new dedicated EV platform called AMG.EA, which will start life underpinning an electric SUV for the brand. The performance automaker knows how skeptical people can be, saying that the new vehicle will be an “AMG first, all-electric second.”
AMG is developing the architecture in-house and will not share it with Mercedes-Benz. The first vehicle to ride on the platform is expected to be an electric version of the AMG GT fastback, with the second landing as a full-size SUV. AMG teased the second vehicle with a silhouette image of its profile that shows beefy fenders and a sleek shape with a sloping roofline.
The new vehicles will feature an 800-volt electrical architecture and new electric motors that weigh only around 50 pounds each. Though lightweight, the motors promise up to 500 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, which could mean huge power numbers for dual-motor AMG vehicles.
AMG’s CEO, Michael Schiebe, feels that customers care more about its vehicle’s technology and attitude than they do about the shouty V8s that made it famous. That said, the brand’s newest four-cylinder effort, the C63 S E-Performance, has largely fallen flat as buyers opt for older, V8-powered models over the futuristic tech in newer cars.
[Images: Mercedes-Benz]
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