Mercedes Vision AMG Concept Previews AMG's First Stand-Alone EV
What's happening
The Mercedes Vision AMG concept previews AMG's first stand-alone EV.
Why it matters
It will be underpinned by AMG's dedicated AMG.EA platform.
What's next
The production version will be out in 2025.
Mercedes-AMG will launch the first fully electric model on its new dedicated AMG.EA platform in 2025, which has been developed completely by the AMG division in Affalterbach as a stand-alone performance vehicle architecture that will be separate from Mercedes' upcoming MB.EA platform. On Thursday the brand unveiled the Vision AMG concept, a fantastical four-door coupe that previews the 2025 production car.
The Vision AMG concept has a streamlined profile that's reminiscent of the Vision EQXX concept released earlier this year. It's got a long wheelbase, a low hood, fairly short overhangs and a low, tapering greenhouse that flows into a teardrop rear end. The proportions are dramatic, with the Vision AMG looking like a truly innovative successor to the original CLS in terms of design. It's also about 6 inches longer than the Porsche Taycan, which should be the production model's main rival. While the raked windshield is normal glass, the Vision AMG's side windows and rear glass are painted in the same Alubeam silver as the body of the car, with a hexagonal pattern that allows occupants to see out.
Future AMG EVs should have this face.
The front end is dominated by a new interpretation of AMG's Panamericana grille, which isn't really a grille so much as a body color panel with an illuminated outline and vertical light bars. Its headlights are shaped like Mercedes' three-pointed star logo, with the inner lines joining a central light bar that runs across the nose that can show different animations. All these lights make the Vision unmistakably a Mercedes-AMG from the front, and it's a look that we expect future production models to use. Like on the AMG One hypercar and vintage streamliners, the Vision has a large Mercedes star painted on the hood as well. At the rear end a slim light bar extends all the way to the wheel arches, and six round taillights in the diffuser give off the look of exhaust tips -- or spaceship rocket engines.
One of the coolest features on the Vision AMG that sadly isn't really visible in these images are the 22-inch wheels, which are deeply dished and have an aero-disc design. The AMG-branded flat 'aero cladding' rims at the edges of the wheels actually open up for better cooling and aerodynamics, which should look awesome in motion. The Vision AMG also an active rear spoiler, lower carbon-fiber trim and teal accents that match Mercedes' Formula 1 cars.
It looks like a spaceship.
AMG isn't giving any performance details for the Vision, but the brand says it uses an Axial Flux Motor developed by YASA, a subsidiary of Mercedes. This motor apparently is more compact, lightweight and powerful than traditional electric motors. The AMG.EA architecture's batteries and other drivetrain components are all also developed in-house for AMG specifically, sharing nothing with Mercedes' other EV parts. Mercedes says the Vision AMG is much lower than an EQS despite the battery pack sitting in the floor between the axles, which should lead to better proportions in future production cars, and it has carved-out space for footwells.
While the production version of the Vision AMG won't be out until 2025, AMG has more electrified models in the pipeline that are based on existing cars. The AMG EQS is on sale now and will be followed later this year by the AMG EQE, and a plug-in-hybrid version of the SL Roadster will join the GT63 S E Performance 4-Door Coupe. Expect AMG versions of other electric Mercedes-Benz cars to follow, like of the EQS SUV. But once that AMG.EA platform is up and running, we should see a lot more unique performance models from the brand.
