► Electric Concept AMG GT XX has a megawatt of power
► New axial motor tech, pared-back interior
► Previews new generation of AMG EVs
The new, much quieter era of cars from Mercedes-AMG is almost upon us and this – the new Concept AMG GT XX – is our first look.
AMG’s designers and engineers have gone all out, introducing new design elements, a fresh take on the performance car and a whole lotta new performance car technology that’ll set AMG up for years to come.
Of course, we already have had EVs from AMG. Remember the SLS Electric Drive? That proved an electric sports car was feasible. And, of course, you can buy an AMG EQE and EQS, but they are arguably little else beyond more powerful versions of an existing EV.
The GT XX, however, is a different beast entirely – developed from the ground up by AMG. And, even if AMG calls this a concept, it’s anything but. Those last two letters – ‘XX’ – are very important, pointing to the fact that this is actually more of a rolling test bed for technical innovations rather than some static show car that’ll inevitably collect dust in a museum. Look closely in the images and you’ll see door mirrors, production car wipers and even a VIN.
Just like the Mercedes EQ XX, then. But, unlike the EQ XX that chased maximum efficiency and achieved more than 1000 kilometres on a single charge, the AMG GT XX is designed to chase maximum performance and generate power beyond one megawatt.
Indeed. And notice how I said ‘beyond’? AMG engineers say one megawatt, or 1341bhp in Church of England, is just the start. You’re right to say ‘great scott!’, too, as the technology deployed here is very much like something out of Back to the Future.
Why? Because AMG has used axial flux electric motors from YASA – a British-based engineering firm that Mercedes-Benz owns outright. In the case of the GT XX, these motors develop a system output north of 1341bhp, good for a top speed north of 224mph.
Quick recap for those at the back: in a conventional electric motor, the magnetic flux flows from the core of the motor outwards and around the edges to spin the rotor. With an axial flux motor, the force flows through the core from magnet to magnet to produce the same effect. This change in flux direction means axial flux motors don’t have to take up so much space and end up weighing less, too; AMG engineers tell us the GT XX’s motors are two thirds lighter and take up a third of the space.
‘But the real benefits we get are from the performance,’ says David Storr, electric drive component engineer for Mercedes-AMG. ‘We’ve got three times the power density and two times the torque density compared to a conventional electric motor, and we’re the first to bring these motors into a full electric vehicle.’
Three axial flux motors are applied to the GT XX – two on the rear axle and one on the front – allowing for electric all-wheel drive. The rear motors are packaged into a singular unit that AMG calls a High Performance Electric Drive Unit that also houses an planetary gearset and inverter. That front motor only kicks in when extra power is required or if you’re doing proper power oversteer drifts, disconnecting again when you’re only cruising or coasting.
Extreme power outputs mean extreme battery tech, too. AMG is using cylindrical cells instead of pouch ones. Cylindrical cells are easier to cool and more can be packaged within a defined battery size than pouch cells, making the pack more energy-dense – even if it’s a more expensive configuration. The GT XX also has an 800-volt architecture, and AMG claims the battery technology is capable of extreme charging speeds.
Bertram Tschamon, head of high-performance batteries at AMG, told us the GT XX could charge at an average of eight hundred and fifty kilowatts, even pointing out that Mercedes had to create a new charging station capable of such extremes. ‘The battery can peak even higher than that, but we’re not interested in the peak number – we’re more interested in what it can do over a long period of time,’ says Tschamon. ‘With these speeds, you can achieve 400 kilometres [248 miles] in five minutes.’ Tschamon also confirms that this is an AMG-specific battery pack – no paltry, lower-class Mercedes-Benz model will use them.
Hmm, yes – I can see what you’re getting at. Stefan Lamm, head of advanced design at AMG, points to cars like the 300 SL and C111, as well as the Vision AMG and – more recently – the Vision One Eleven for design inspiration.
As part of that design walkthrough, we saw some early sketches of it during the design phase. In those early stages, the front end looked almost like Darth Vader’s helmet, but painted in orange – very cool and quite aggressive.
The end result, however, is a little more rounded and soft. The headlights oddly look too small, too – particularly given what we’ve become used to with cars like the current AMG GT – and the wide, backlit grille is mere inches from the floor and looks as if its pointed downwards. Which is a shame, because some of the GT XX’s details are sometimes pie in the sky, but always fascinating.
It’s super low and actually quite compact when you’re up close to it, like someone’s shrunk the AMG GT four-door down to three quarters its size. The orange paint is called Sunset Beam – a nod to the C11’s orange hue. ‘It’s a very vibrant colour,’ says Lamm, ‘and reminds us of the C111 as that too was a technology carrier and quite advanced for its time.’
The overall shape means extremely impressive aero, too. Lamm points to a 0.198 drag coefficient – an extremely low figure that makes this one of the most aerodynamic cars ever. There is no rear window (because concept car) and those rear lights are inspired by jet engine afterburners.
Oddly, there are also exterior speakers in the headlights. The idea means the AMG can emit noises – even rev, for those most old-school car enthusiasts – but they save weight by being integrated into the lenses. And, for a bit of retro flavour, a pixelated ‘screen’ that can be customised to show messages sits between the tail lights.
To help achieve that sleek aero figure, there are aero inserts in the wheels powered by an actuator in the wheel hub. They slowly pop out, allowing the car to prioritise aerodynamics or brake cooling if high-speed driving is the order of the day. Bioluminescent paint is applied to the door sills; see that stripe of white? It’s backlit and can glow to show how much charge you have; AMG calls it MBUX Fluid Light Paint.
AMG is keen to pare it back and make it more essential. No fripperies. That’s for Mercedes-Benz to deal with, not Affalterbach.
The almost racing car-spec interior includes contoured carbonfibre seats, metallic details that look like heat sinks and a steering wheel a lot like that on the AMG One. Interior designer Matthias Hauser says he and the design team were keen to up the quality of the surroundings, too, with details like milled metal AMG badging on the dashboard and a centre console that’s meant to look like the super durable materials you see in an engine block.
‘We wanted to make the technology very visible,’ says Hauser, ‘and we wanted to make no compromises. Just like the exterior, our mission from the outset was to design the GT XX to clearly show what it is: a technology carrier and a preview of forthcoming AMGs on the AMG.EA platform.’
Mercedes is also developing a new artificial leather that feels as soft as Nappa but feels much stronger; for the GT XX, the ‘leather’ material is derived from recycled AMG GT3 racing car tyres where the fibres are broken down using biochemistry. ‘Underneath the biotech leather alternative, you also have 3D-printed seat pads,’ says Eva Weckenmann, innovations manager (cool job title) for the GT XX project. ‘That allow us to individualise them to the shape of the driver,’
Yes, alright – fine. Some of the details – like the aero wheel inserts and the MBUX Fluid Light Paint – are still in the pre-production stage, we’re told, but more of the GT XX’s technology is ready to go than you may think.
The battery technology and new axial flux electric motors, for example, are ready to launch, with their first production car deployment being in the next-generation AMG GT four-door. After that, an SUV has been confirmed for 2027, while CAR’s intel suggests a two-door coupe and convertible will arrive from 2028 onwards.
‘The engine has always been the heart of AMG from the Red Pig to the AMG One,’ says Storr. ‘It’s always been the central component of everything we make, and that should be the same in an electric world.’
Jake has been an automotive journalist since 2015, joining CAR as Staff Writer in 2017. With a decade of car news and reviews writing under his belt, he became CAR's Deputy News Editor in 2020 and then News Editor in 2025. Jake's day-to-day role includes co-ordinating CAR's news content across its print, digital and social media channels. When he's not out interviewing an executive, driving a new car for review or on a photoshoot for a CAR feature, he's usually found geeking out on the latest video game, buying yet another pair of wildly-coloured trainers or figuring out where he can put another car-shaped Lego set in his already-full house.
By Jake Groves
CAR's news editor; gamer, trainer freak and serial Lego-ist
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