Mercedes-AMG Unveils Groundbreaking Electric Super Saloon to Challenge Porsche Taycan

Mercedes-AMG Unveils Groundbreaking Electric Super Saloon to Challenge Porsche Taycan

Mercedes AMG EA prototype official front quarter sliding
The new AMG GT 4-Door will be tasked with taking on the Porsche Taycan and Lucid Air
Affalterbach confirms an imminent debut for its long-awaited Porsche Taycan rival, tipped to pack 1000bhp

Mercedes-AMG’s first dedicated electric car, a mega-powered super saloon to rival the Porsche Taycan, is just weeks away from being unwrapped. 

Equipped with innovative drivetrain technology that is likely to make it the firm’s most powerful road car yet, the new super-saloon will in effect be a replacement for the V8-engined GT 4-Door Coupé.

Mercedes’ performance division previewed the rakish four-seater in 2022 with a radical concept dubbed Vision 2025, which gave clues to how AMG plans to differentiate its own sporting EVs from the mainstream equivalents offered by its parent company. 

Now, the company has posted an image of the saloon's silhouette (below) on social media along with confirmation that the full design will be shown in June - though it has yet to give a date.

The concept was clearly more performance-focused than models such as the Mercedes-Benz EQE and EQS saloons, with a much lower and sharper silhouette. Distinctive styling cues, such as the six circular tail-lights and race-style diffuser, hinted at features that could define AMG’s future product portfolio - including a closely related super-SUV that's set to follow next year.

More recently, as prototypes have shedded their disguise in the final few months of testing, it has become clear that the Affalterbach-based firm will stay true to the Vision 2025 concept for its debut EV, which will be only the fourth completely bespoke car it has launched, after the SLS and GT coupés and the GT 4-Door.

Despite the camouflage, we can see that the new arrival will feature a long, probing bonnet and sit closer to the road – and have a lower roofline – than any other Mercedes EV. It will have a sizeable footprint, though, most likely in line with cars such as the Lucid Air and Porsche Taycan, hinting at its potential dual billing as a luxury sports car with generous rear leg room and a big boot.

It also looks to have a prominent retractable rear spoiler and flush door handles in order to boost downforce and aid aerodynamic efficiency respectively, as well as a split rear window. An evolution of the concept’s striking tail-lights looks to be hidden beneath the wrap, and the bulky lower bumpers are expected to accommodate similarly racy aero-optimised bodywork.

The electric AMG has been designed from the ground up as a performance car and is expected to place as much emphasis on dynamic performance and engagement as it does straight-line speed.

Mercedes AMG.EA prototype sliding on ice – rear

It will be the first car to use a bespoke performance-oriented EV architecture known as AMG.EA. Propulsion is provided by the power-dense, slimline axial flux motors developed by Mercedes-owned Oxford manufacturer Yasa.

AMG has been tight-lipped on performance potential, but Yasa boss Tim Woolmer confirmed that a motor bound for one of the German company’s production cars weighs just 24kg yet produces 590lb ft and 480bhp in its own right.

If used in tandem as part of a twin-motor system, such as that previewed by AMG’s retro One-Eleven supercar concept, combined outputs of around 1000bhp and 1000lb ft are quite feasible.

Interestingly, the One-Eleven had both of its motors mounted on the rear axle. At the concept’s unveiling, bosses highlighted the packaging benefits of having both motors at the rear: the front end can be brought as close to the ground as possible for optimal aerodynamic efficiency, but the Yasa-produced motors’ compact footprint means there is still room for a sizeable rear luggage area.

This suggests that any new electric saloon using such an arrangement can, in theory, tout the same practicality credentials as its V8-engined predecessor, making it a bona fide super-tourer.

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Mercedes-AMG Unveils Game-Changing Electric Super Saloon to Challenge Porsche Taycan

Mercedes-AMG Unveils Game-Changing Electric Super Saloon to Challenge Porsche Taycan

Mercedes AMG EA prototype official front quarter sliding
The new AMG GT 4-Door will be tasked with taking on the Porsche Taycan and Lucid Air
Affalterbach confirms an imminent debut for its long-awaited Porsche Taycan rival, tipped to back 1000bhp

Mercedes-AMG’s first dedicated electric car, a mega-powered super saloon to rival the Porsche Taycan, is just weeks away from being unwrapped. 

Equipped with innovative drivetrain technology that is likely to make it the firm’s most powerful road car yet, the new super-saloon will in effect be a replacement for the V8-engined GT 4-Door Coupé.

Mercedes’ performance division previewed the rakish four-seater in 2022 with a radical concept dubbed Vision 2025, which gave clues to how AMG plans to differentiate its own sporting EVs from the mainstream equivalents offered by its parent company. 

Now, the company has posted an image of the saloon's silhouette (below) on social media along with confirmation that the full design will be shown in June - though it has yet to give a date.

The concept was clearly more performance-focused than models such as the Mercedes-Benz EQE and EQS saloons, with a much lower and sharper silhouette. Distinctive styling cues, such as the six circular tail-lights and race-style diffuser, hinted at features that could define AMG’s future product portfolio - including a closely related super-SUV that's set to follow next year.

More recently, as prototypes have shedded their disguise in the final few months of testing, it has become clear that the Affalterbach-based firm will stay true to the Vision 2025 concept for its debut EV, which will be only the fourth completely bespoke car it has launched, after the SLS and GT coupés and the GT 4-Door.

Despite the camouflage, we can see that the new arrival will feature a long, probing bonnet and sit closer to the road – and have a lower roofline – than any other Mercedes EV. It will have a sizeable footprint, though, most likely in line with cars such as the Lucid Air and Porsche Taycan, hinting at its potential dual billing as a luxury sports car with generous rear leg room and a big boot.

It also looks to have a prominent retractable rear spoiler and flush door handles in order to boost downforce and aid aerodynamic efficiency respectively, as well as a split rear window. An evolution of the concept’s striking tail-lights looks to be hidden beneath the wrap, and the bulky lower bumpers are expected to accommodate similarly racy aero-optimised bodywork.

The electric AMG has been designed from the ground up as a performance car and is expected to place as much emphasis on dynamic performance and engagement as it does straight-line speed.

Mercedes AMG.EA prototype sliding on ice – rear

It will be the first car to use a bespoke performance-oriented EV architecture known as AMG.EA. Propulsion is provided by the power-dense, slimline axial flux motors developed by Mercedes-owned Oxford manufacturer Yasa.

AMG has been tight-lipped on performance potential, but Yasa boss Tim Woolmer confirmed that a motor bound for one of the German company’s production cars weighs just 24kg yet produces 590lb ft and 480bhp in its own right.

If used in tandem as part of a twin-motor system, such as that previewed by AMG’s retro One-Eleven supercar concept, combined outputs of around 1000bhp and 1000lb ft are quite feasible.

Interestingly, the One-Eleven had both of its motors mounted on the rear axle. At the concept’s unveiling, bosses highlighted the packaging benefits of having both motors at the rear: the front end can be brought as close to the ground as possible for optimal aerodynamic efficiency, but the Yasa-produced motors’ compact footprint means there is still room for a sizeable rear luggage area.

This suggests that any new electric saloon using such an arrangement can, in theory, tout the same practicality credentials as its V8-engined predecessor, making it a bona fide super-tourer.

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Porsche's 963: The Legendary Le Mans Racer Set for the Streets

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Porsche 963 tease Shadowy teaser image suggests that 671bhp V8-engined racing hypercar will be converted for road use

Porsche looks to be readying a Le Mans car for the road, which it could unveil at the famous 24-hour race in June.

A shadowy teaser image released by the German brand shows a side profile of the 963 hypercar (below) that currently competes in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

During the announcement, Porsche heavily referenced the 917, one of few Porsche endurance cars ever modified for road-going use, some 50 years ago.

Originally designed for track racing, chassis 030 was sold in 1974 by Porsche to Count Rossi di Montelera (the heir to the Martini brand), who then converted it.

After showing videos of that machine, Porsche asked “what if?” before showing the darkened side profile of the 963.

The 963 is powered by an electrically assisted, twin-turbocharged 4.6-litre V8 engine, derived from that of the old Porsche 918 Spyder supercar.

It produces a maximum of 671bhp, although its output in WEC races is dictated by Balance of Performance regulations.

While no confirmation has yet been made by Porsche, a road-going 963 would likely be either a one-off or made in an extremely limited batch.

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