Flagship Mercedes-AMG electric SUV in the works

Mercedes-AMG is secretly hatching an all-new high-performance flagship EV for release in 2026, but it won’t be a low-slung supercar – reports suggest it’s a hugely powerful large SUV with cutting-edge tech.

According to Autocar, the new battery-powered Mercedes-AMG SUV will pump out at least 1000bhp (746kW) and is being readied to take on the current BMW XM, Lotus Eletre and the incoming Porsche SUV developed under the codename K1.

Based on an all-new bespoke AMG.EA architecture not shared with any other core Mercedes-Benz model line, the new SUV is being developed to replace the current Mercedes-AMG GLE 63.

The same advanced platform will not only enable AMG to roll out its latest tech, but also give its designers free rein to create something altogether wilder inside and out.

Rumoured to pick up where the Vision AMG concept left off, the SUV will be an imposing five metres long with a three-metre wheelbase to ensure there’s loads of cabin space.

Key new tech should include an 800V electric architecture and four disc-shaped axial flux e-motors that will offer torque vectoring well beyond conventional motors.

It should also feature AMG’s own operating system that has been developed internally under the AMG.OS banner.

Instead of using regular batteries, the new AMG SUV will come equipped with a high-performance high-voltage power pack that’s capable of discharging at a high rate for maximum power.

The SUV is believed to have been developed alongside the incoming AMG GT 4-Door that’s due in 2025.

Giving it an edge over rivals like the BMW XM, the SUV is expected to feature active suspension that’s a development of the same system first used on the latest AMG GT Coupe.

The system will be capable of cancelling out body roll while improving the ride and aiding off-road capability, thanks to its greater axle articulation (the system deletes anti-roll bars).

The SUV will play a role in the AMG’s transition to a full-electric line-up.

A hot all-electric version of the next-generation Mercedes CLA is also due next year, although the four-door coupe will be based on Benz’s new MMA platform, not the more advanced AMG.EA architecture.

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