Mercedes' AMG high-performance division has been recently promising that it's going to start making models more overtly different to conventional Mercedes cars. While the brand has become famous for offering fast, tuned versions of regular Mercs, this new Concept AMG GT XX is a clear step in a more bespoke direction for AMG.
Is this based on any other Mercedes?
Not really, or at least not yet. Under the unique skin of this concept car, which draws clear influences from the original gullwing C111 supercar concept of the 1970s, as well as the more recent all-electric re-imagining of that same concept, lies the new AMG.EA electric car platform. While this high-performance platform is, technically, unique to AMG, it does draw on much of the same structure and engineering of the Mercedes.EA platform, which will underpin future all-electric Merc models.
So what turns this into an AMG, then?
In a word, power. In three words, lots of power. Mercedes, a couple of years ago, bought out British-based electric motor maker Yasa, keen to harvest Yasa's axial-flow motor technology. Well, that technology is now here, and clad in bright orange, providing the Concept AMG GT XX with 1,341hp from three motors - two at the rear and one at the front. Mercedes is targeting a 0-100km/h time of around 2.5 seconds.
According to AMG, these clever motors: “Attain a completely new level, particularly in respect of continuous output. This allows the Concept AMG GT XX to be pushed to its limits repeatedly.” That's not normally something you can do with high-performance EV motors, which usually need time to rest and cool down between high-speed runs. Equally, AMG is making great claims about the Concept's battery, which is says can be charged up with an additional 400km of range in just five minutes.
That battery uses conventional nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry, but it's still cleverer than the battery in most current EVs, thanks to tall and slim cylindrical cells, which are more easily cooled. The battery pack gets a laser-welded aluminium cell housing for lightness, while the battery cells inside have lower electrical resistance for faster energy flow. The battery can be charged at up to 800 volts and up to 850kW, which is the current state of the art for high-speed DC charging. Mercedes' F1 team has been involved in the design of the battery, its electronic management and cooling.
The 114kWh battery is both heated and cooled as needed, and that, says Mercedes, is how it's able to provide high power for repeated long durations, without the need for resting time.
What about the motors?
Ah, yes, the famous axial flow motors. Mercedes claims that these are “significantly more compact, lighter and, above all, more powerful than conventional electric motors” with up to three times the power density of 'normal' motors. The axial flow design means that these motors are just 88mm wide. The motors - one at the front and two at the back - are packaged into High Performance Electric Drive Units (HP.EDUs), which incorporate a compact planetary gearset and one inverter, in a single casing, all cooled by oil flow. Mostly, the Concept AMG GT XX is driven by its rear motors, with the front one stepping in only when needed for maximum acceleration or when the rear wheels start to slip. Mercedes describes this layout as the next generation of its 4MATIC four-wheel drive, with fully variable torque distribution.
And the styling?
It's certainly different. That low ant-eater nose is definitely lifted from the classic C111 concept, and so too is the 'Sunset Beam Orange' paint finish. The ten-vane grille, slightly curved at the edges and deeply inset, could become the new corporate 'face' of AMG models, giving them a very different look to a conventional Mercedes.
There's a huge front aero splitter, which sweeps out to the sides of the body to form two upright aero blades beside the nose. There are recessed door handles, aero-style mirrors, a tapering roof and glass area, and a huge rear diffuser, made from naked carbon-fibre as well as a massive active air brake, like a 1955 300 SLR racing car. All of this helps to cut the Concept AMG GT XX's drag figure down to just 0.198Cd. That's hugely helpful, because as Mercedes points out, at 300km/h, 83 per cent of the drive energy is required just to overcome aerodynamic drag. Incidentally, the Concept AMG GT XX can go considerably faster than 300km/h. In fact, Mercedes claims that it can hit 359km/h.
Further helping the aero is some clever cooling, as the Concept AMG GT XX uses a passive cooling plate located at the front of the underbody, using the airflow beneath the car for cooling, which helps cut down on the need for lots of radiator ducts and openings in the bodywork.
What's the interior like?
Quite stripped-back, actually. There's a big sweep of digital screens which make up most of the dashboard, and a tiny yoke-style steering wheel which has clearly been modelled on that used by the Mercedes F1 car. There's lots of exposed carbon fibre, Porsche GT3-style fabric pulls instead of traditional door handles, and plenty of bright orange highlighting. AMG has tried to bring the car's exterior structure into the cabin, not merely for the aesthetics of it, but because the cabin's fittings can be made lighter if they're also structural parts, hence why there's no cladding on the dashboard - it's all part of the cabin's structure.