Revealed: Mercedes-AMG GT goes EV with 1169bhp and V8 rumble

Two motors are mounted within the car's rear axle assembly and one at the front, providing fully variable four-wheel drive with torque vectoring across the rear axle.

The rear motors rev to 13,000rpm, while the front motor is capable of extending to 15,000rpm.

The two rear motors are paired with a compact single-speed planetary gearbox, while silicon-carbide inverters manage energy flow under high load.

The front motor operates as a boost unit, engaging only when required and disconnecting under lighter loads to reduce drag.

In the entry-level GT 55, the trio combine to produce 816bhp and 1328lb ft, while the GT 63 raises output to 1169bhp and 1475lb ft. That's significantly more than direct rivals such as the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (1093bhp and 9881b ft) and Lotus Emeya 900 Sport (905bhp and 726lb ft).

It also eclipses the punchiest version of the original GT 4-Door Coupé, the GT 63 S E Performance, which delivered 831bhp and 1084lb ft from a V8-engined plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Beyond peak figures, AMG has emphasised sustained output, claiming the GT 63 delivers maximum power for up to 63 seconds without thermal derating and never has less than 721bhp to use.

Energy is supplied by a newly developed 106kWh battery pack that features directly cooled cylindrical cells, each individually surrounded by a dielectric coolant to maintain stable operating temperatures.

This gives a range of up to 432 miles (in the car's most efficient GT 55 form) – 10 more than the Taycan with Performance Battery Plus.

Its 800V electrical system supports peak DC rapid-charging rates of more than 600kW, meaning around 286 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes.

The production model follows the GT XX concept, which completed almost 25,000 miles of running at the Nardò test track in Italy, setting multiple EV endurance and speed records in the process.

Driver engagement in an EV

AMG claims to have addressed the issue of driver engagement in EVs via a series of innovations.

Its new AMGForce system introduces a synthesised driving sound derived from the original GT 4-Door Coupé's V8, paired with haptic feedback through the seat structure.

There's also a simulated gearbox that's designed to replicate the characteristic of an AMG engine.

Control of the powertrain and chassis is handled by the AMG Race Engineer system, which links motor, braking and suspension functions.

Three rotary controllers on the centre console allow adjustment of the car's response, agility and traction by altering throttle behaviour, yaw characteristics and slip thresholds across a total of 729 settings.

As with other recent AMG models, the chassis adopts an AMG Active Ride Control suspension system combining three-chamber air springs with semi-active roll stabilisation.

Hydraulically interconnected dampers replace conventional anti-roll bars, continuously varying the roll stiffness within parameters set by the five drive modes, which include Race and Drift.

The four-link front and five-link rear suspension arrangements use forged aluminium components to reduce unsprung mass.

Meanwhile, rear-axle steering of up to six degrees aims to balance between low-speed agility and high-speed stability.

Braking is handled by carbon-ceramic discs at the front and steel discs at the rear, integrated with a energy recuperation system that can be adjusted via steering wheel paddles.

The cabin is covered in carbonfibre, metal and leather dominated by a 10.2in digital instrument cluster, a 14.0in infotainment touchscreen and a 14.0in passenger touchscreen.

Production of the new GT 4-Door Coupé will start in Sindelfingen this July.