Even the high-performance forge from Mercedes can no longer avoid electrification. Two different pillars are planned.
Bolting V8 petrol engines are part of the brand essence of the Mercedes tuning department AMG. In the future, however, the brand's performance department also and above all wants to operate electrically. In addition to plug-in hybrids under the “E Performance” label, purely electric models based on the Mercedes EQ models are planned.
The plug-in hybrids from AMG want to appear technically independent. In contrast to the normal Mercedes models, the electric motor is not located in the transmission bell housing, but directly on the rear axle. Among other things, this should have a positive influence on weight distribution and the spontaneity of the power output. In addition, significantly higher performance of the electrical part is possible; up to 150 kW / 204 PS have been announced.
In addition, there is an AMG performance battery derived from Formula 1 with individually cooled cells, the power density of which is supposed to be twice as high as that of the standard vehicles. That would speak in favor of short charging times and rapid energy release and consumption while driving, but it should limit the capacity and thus the electric range. The role of the internal combustion engine will be played by four and eight-cylinder engines. Depending on the series and variant, different combinations of battery, electric motor and combustion engine are possible. Mercedes speaks of up to 600 kW / 816 PS system output and sprint times of less than 3 seconds to 100 km / h. Values that will obviously apply to the eight-cylinder variants. But the four-cylinder should also achieve extreme performance, for example on board the upcoming AMG version of the C-Class, where a 330 kW / 449 hp 2,0-liter longitudinal engine is combined with a 150 kW / 204 hp electric drive .
For all-electric cars, AMG relies on its own variants of the Mercedes EQ models. The power athletes are modified in Affalterbach in terms of drive, chassis, brakes and sound. Exterior and interior design as well as standard equipment and options are also to be extensively redeveloped. The first model will be launched this year, probably based on the EQS e-sedan, which will celebrate its premiere shortly. The AMG model is then powered by two electric motors, which are supposed to achieve performance on a par with cars with V8 engines. Tempo 100 should be reached after less than 4 seconds, the acceleration is limited to 250 km / h.
With the electrification of AMG, Mercedes is responding to the increasing pressure to reduce CO2. BMW M GmbH has already announced corresponding models, and the first is set to celebrate its premiere this year. Whether as a plug-in hybrid or as a variant of the i4 e-sedan is still unclear. Competitor Audi recently presented a fully electric performance model with the RS E-Tron GT.
