Mercedes-AMG Is Building A Dedicated SUV. Here Are Spy Shots Of A Prototype

Late last year, Mercedes-AMG announced a change that surprised us all. Well, maybe surprised isn’t the right word. Let’s go with saddened – a change that saddened us all. The company announced that, for the first time in its nearly 60 years of building very fast cars, it would build a very fast SUV. We’re not talking about something based on an existing model, like the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63. This one is designed exclusively by AMG, much like the AMG GT, only bigger. Much bigger.

The folks at Affalterbach have been busy testing this rocket ship with cargo space, and our spy photographers have caught one in action. But that’s not all. In addition to this AMG-specific SUV, the performance division is already working on a PR campaign to sell it. We’ll talk more about that in a bit.

Yes, AMG Is Building An Electric SUV

While the BMW XM was a big (and not all that successful) leap, the AMG SUV is even bigger. Why? It’s going to be purely electric, based on the new AMG.EA architecture. And it will need a mighty big battery to shuffle the driver and several passengers around in speedy comfort. As for exactly how big, we aren’t sure just yet. But considering this is one of just a few AMG-exclusive models ever made, we’re expecting no-holds-barred performance.

AMG said it was doing this because SUVs are some of its best sellers. The brand’s boss, Michael Schiebe, said, “We are responding to this trend by offering our customers a truly captivating high-performance off-roader.”

Yes, he said off-roader, though looking closely at the above spy shots, we struggle to see anything that suggests this is even remotely designed to work off the pavement. The prototype that’s been spotted is clearly not sitting high enough to be of any notable use on anything but a flat surface. It’s also definitely not equipped with off-road tires.

But we almost wish it was off-road friendly, if for no other reason than to keep it out of sight. Yes, Mercedes-AMG is clearly doing its best to hide many of the SUV’s design details – it’s easy to see thick pads under the camouflage wrap that obscure panels and warp body lines. But our take is that this SUV really isn’t a looker. The strangely swept tail, even if it is fake, suggests a very polarizing shape underneath. The cut for the rear door is also a very awkward line, and the nose resembles some sort of deformed Stormtrooper costume.

AMG’s EVs Will Offer Massive Horsepower And A Very Sharp New Face

It should be seriously powerful, at least. AMG’s very cool axial flux motors have the potential to make more than 500 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque each. With two per vehicle, this will be fast. There’s even talk of three and four-motor variants to make it even more extreme. The big question is whether the performance will be enough to offset its potentially terrible aesthetics.

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Mercedes-AMG Teases New Model By Renaming Its Hometown

Mercedes-AMG is from Affasterbach, now.

While we don’t know the specs of the new AMG SUV, we do know who will sell it to you. AMG has just launched a new spokesperson. Gabriel Macht, best known as Harvey from Suits, will be the latest face of AMG. Macht is bringing his character’s knife-edge walking of the line between confidence and arrogance, plus a more than healthy level of monologuing, to the brand. Expect to see more of him in ads like the one below. And here’s to hoping that the AMG SUV is even half as sharp as Macht’s jawline.

The new AMG SUV is expected to launch early next year, which puts it ahead of potential competitors like the delayed Lamborghini Lanzador and the Porsche K1.