Mercedes-AMG’s 1000bhp Lotus Eletre fighter spied testing
Don’t ask and ye shall receive, as development of Mercedes-AMG’s monster performance electric SUV continues at pace
Prevailing winds do not blow in favour of large, expensive, excessively powerful and expensive electric cars at the moment, be they SUV, saloon, hypercar or otherwise. Nevertheless Mercedes-AMG is continuing to develop an EV SUV flagship capable of monstrous performance, to take the fight to the Lotus Eletre, Tesla Model X and Porsche’s forthcoming electric Cayenne.
The prototype we see here is very obviously the car Mercedes-AMG first teased late last year. The outline of a swept-tailed truck that was first glimpsed, not dissimilar in silhouette to an Aston Martin DBX707 and Lotus Eletre, is clearly visible here. What will be Mercedes-AMG’s first SUV will be all-electric and based on a platform bespoke to the three-pointed star’s high-performance arm.
Known as the AMG.EA architecture, the platform will underpin a number of models, of which the SUV will be second in line. The first is expected to be a potential replacement for the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door, as a rival to the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT and Lotus Emeya. Mercedes teased the platform with images of the prototype, saying the two models will use ‘a new high-performance battery concept’ in combination with two axial-flux motors. It’ll need to be dense, to feed the motors, which are set to offer some egregious, if as yet unconfirmed, power and torque figures.
This motor technology, which tends to be both lighter, more compact and more powerful than radial items, was first previewed on Mercedes’ Vision One-Eleven concept in 2023. These are rumoured to be capable of delivering in the region of 500bhp each, right in the ballpark to allow a twin-motor Mercedes-AMG monster to take on the 900bhp Lotus Eletre R. At the very least, the bar is low for range…
‘SUVs have been among our most popular models for many years,’ said Michael Schiebe, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG and head of Mercedes G-Class and Maybach divisions, on the announcement of the car last year.
‘With the 'Born in Affalterbach' SUV, we are responding to this trend by offering our customers a truly captivating high-performance off-roader based on the AMG.EA platform. Our new high-performance architecture follows a clear philosophy: 'AMG First, EV Second'. This means that the vehicles not only excel as electric vehicles but also embody the core AMG qualities of emotion and performance.’
