The clock ticked past midnight, but I stayed glued to the screen. Somewhere in southern Germany, the sleepy village of Affalterbach had been reborn as "Affasterbach" for the night. And at its centre, like a lightning bolt cast in Sunset Beam orange, was the Concept AMG GT XX.
My Editor-in-Chief was lucky enough to be there in person. While I held vigil at my desk, he was on the ground, sending back notes, photos, and the occasional expletive. Mercedes-AMG hadn't just unveiled a car. They'd built a theatre, lit it with electricity, and dropped their most audacious concept car to date onto its main stage.
Let’s be honest. The name might sound like a GPU, but the Concept AMG GT XX is AMG's clearest sign yet that it's not just dipping a toe into the electric age, it’s diving headfirst, V8 bravado and all.
This sleek four-door fastback is AMG's first ground-up EV, previewing a production model that will arrive next year. It rides on the bespoke AMG.EA platform, and while it's officially a concept, much of what lies beneath that orange skin is locked in for the real thing. According to my Editor, the whole affair was styled like a Formula 1 weekend crossed with a music festival. AMG took over the village with checkered flags, pit lane mockups, and a grid of heritage cars lined up like they're about to do hot laps down Main Street. And in the middle of it, parked like it owned the place, the Concept GT XX.
Even from the press images, the GT XX looks like it was painted by a sunset with a caffeine addiction. The colour is called Sunset Beam. There's an electroluminescent rocker panel that displays the battery's charge. And at 5.2 metres long, it’s more land yacht than sports coupe.
The shape is sleek, but it's not just about looks. The drag coefficient? Just 0.198. The front splitter wraps into side air curtains, underfloor vanes manage lift, and there's a pop-up rear brake like something out of Stuttgart's secret wind tunnel lab. It's slippery in the way AMG saloons usually aren’t. The Concept AMG GT XX features integrated speakers within its vertically stacked headlights — a novel solution aimed primarily at pedestrian safety, where the lack of engine noise in EVs is compensated by emitting low-frequency sounds from the front of the vehicle.
And then there are the rear lights. Six circular units, three per side, glowing like molten lava. It’s a clear nod to Ferrari’s design language, which, depending on who you ask in our editorial meetings, is either a bold homage or a betrayal of German design sobriety. The grille up front has also evolved into a more oval, concave shape. It's less hammerhead, more Maserati mouth. Divisive? Sure. Boring? Not a chance.
Of course, this isn’t just about the visuals. Underneath, it's packing a trio of axial flux motors developed with British firm YASA. These aren’t your typical electric whirligigs. They’re two-thirds lighter and a third the size of conventional radial flux motors. Two live in the rear; one lives up front. Combined? Over 1,340bhp (officially >1,000kW). That’s one megawatt of power. That's "warp speed ahead" kind of power. We have heard that the top speed is 378kmph, but let that be an unofficial figure for now.
The rear drive unit handles most of the load and features a planetary gearset and silicon carbide inverter, all tucked into a 140kg package. The front unit is smaller, only engaging when needed. Most of the time, it decouples to maximise efficiency. Clever stuff.
Mercedes claims it'll top 360kmph and do 0-200kmph in five seconds. That’s Koenigsegg territory. But while a Jesko drinks fuel like it's free, the GT XX charges like it’s plugged into Thor’s hammer.
My Editor couldn’t stop talking about this part. The GT XX charges at up to 850kW. That’s not a typo. It means, in theory, you can add around 400km of range in just five minutes. Currently, no public chargers can deliver that kind of current. But AMG has already partnered with Alpitronic to build one that can. Using a standard CCS cable, no less.
It's as much a statement about infrastructure as it is about the car. Mercedes isn't just making fast EVs. They're building the world around them, one kilowatt at a time. I hope it becomes a reality.
And Then: The Wheels.
This bit reads like sci-fi. Each 21-inch aero wheel features five active blades. If the brakes heat up, the blades open to cool them. Otherwise, they close for aero efficiency. And every actuator in the hub includes a tiny generator to recover energy. It's genius. It's ridiculous. It's not production-ready.
But this is AMG. They turned a hybrid hypercar into a real thing. Never say never.
The Battery Is Not Messing Around
Under the floor sits a high-performance battery with over 3,000 cells. Each one is cooled by non-conductive oil, housed in laser-welded aluminium casings. The design reduces thermal stress and maintains consistent performance. No one-lap wonders here. This car is built to keep going.
And while we’re at it, that cooling system? Controlled on demand. Each module is preconditioned, so there’s no drop-off in output. AMG took lessons from Formula 1 and the AMG One hypercar to build something that’s not just fast but sustainably fast. You can absolutely abuse this battery. It will take it.
The cabin looks like AMG pulled all the party pieces. The seats are carbon fibre shells with 3D-printed pads made from Labfiber, a biotech material made from recycled racing tyres and vegetable protein. One tyre makes about four square metres of the stuff. It doesn't end there; when you sit on it, the organic seats will take the shape of your bottom.
Cables snake visibly across the cabin, a reminder that electricity lives here now. The crossbeam structure mimics a classic engine bay. The yoke steering wheel is lifted straight from the AMG One, and it’s connected via steer-by-wire — no mechanical link between you and the front wheels. The F1 fantasy or the Cybertruck, you decide.
Everywhere you look, there's intention. Fabric loops instead of handles. Chequered flag door card patterns. Crackle-finish lacquer on the centre console. It doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It feels like AMG knows what story it wants to tell.
Yes, it was a party. Alicia Keys performed. Martin Garrix and Steve Aoki turned the town into a rave. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were on stage. Actor Gabriel Macht was introduced as the new AMG ambassador.
But the real focus, according to my Editor, was the car. The vibe wasn’t just "look at our concept," it was "this is the future, and it's nearly here." It was less about flexing and more about conviction. The Concept GT XX wasn’t a teaser. It was a warning shot.
After years of EQ experiments and softened silhouettes, Mercedes-AMG has come out swinging. The Concept AMG GT XX is loud, bold, tech-laden, and oddly emotional for a machine powered by electrons.
It may still be a year away from production, and some features might be toned down (those wheels, especially), but the essence is baked in. The future of AMG isn’t just about going electric. It’s about going fast, loud (even if artificially), and unapologetically AMG. As I shut my laptop, I couldn’t help but smile. The V8 might be fading, but Affalterbach's pulse? It’s stronger than ever. And right now, it hums with 1,340 angry, orange, electron-powered horses.
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