Leaving the V8 in the past: The all-electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door

The four-door hatchback will launch in two variants, as usual a 55 and a 63. Both share the same hardware, though the former restricts output to “just” 805 hp (592 kW) and 1,328 lb-ft (1,800 Nm) of torque, while the latter bumps up to 1,153 hp (848 kW) and 1,475 lb-ft (2,000 Nm). All that shove comes courtesy of Mercedes-Benz’s wholly owned subsidiary, YASA, which last year announced a new world record for the most power-dense electric motor ever built. YASA’s axial e-motors can be found in McLarens, Lamborghinis, and Ferrari hybrids and in this application promise a 67 percent reduction in both weight and physical length versus a more traditional radial-flux motor—with double the torque density and triple the power density, no less. The GTs house two of the YASA motors at the rear, with dual water-cooled DC/AC converters and a planetary gearset to each side. Up front, a single motor mates to a spur-gear transmission with an integrated disconnect unit to allow for less drag while freewheeling. The motor sizes truly boggle comprehension, at just 3.5 inches (89 mm) wide for the front and 3.2 inches (81 mm) wide for each rear. YASA eventually believes that these units with a custom planetary gearset can effectively replace wheel hubs and brake rotors entirely, but apparently that solution wasn’t ready for mass-market production quite yet. The slippery aero design also includes venturi flow elements built into the underbody, as well as an active rear diffuser and active front louvers to direct air into the large front fascia. A set of optional 21-inch aero wheels can contribute up to 8.7 miles (14 km) of range, and choosing the right tires can add another 18.6 miles (30 km). In the ideal configuration, the GT’s drag coefficient is an impressively low 0.22—which contributes to the 4.5 miles/kWh (13.8 kWh/100km), or just shy of a Lucid Air Pure’s 5.0 mi/kWh (12.4 kWh/100 km) despite well more than double the Lucid’s power output. Of course, it’s hard to escape the irony of setting off a massive pyrotechnic display—not to mention flying radiant influencers in from all across the globe—while promoting the next step toward supposedly cleaner performance. And Mercedes declined to confirm whether a gasoline or hybrid GT four-door will join the lineup, other than to promise that a Euro 7 inline-six and a new V8 are in development. Regardless, will AMG buyers want to live without the wonderful wellspring of V8 torque at the heart of prior models? In comparison to other top-spec EVs, including the Lucid Air Sapphire, Tesla Plaids, Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, and Audi RS e-tron GT, presumably the new GT will wind up pricing somewhere in the middle of the pack, or well into six figures.