Mercedes-AMG GT SUV (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

Mercedes-AMG has unveiled the GT SUV, an all-electric performance SUV with up to 1,153 hp from three axial-flux motors and DC fast charging at up to 710 kW.

It’s AMG’s answer to the Porsche Cayenne Electric, and on paper, it may be more impressive. The first units hit US dealerships in summer 2027.

AMG’s first in-house SUV

AMG has been tuning Mercedes SUVs for decades, but the company says this is the first full-size SUV it has developed entirely on its own. It’s the second vehicle on the dedicated AMG.EA electric architecture, after the electric GT 4-Door Coupé revealed earlier this year, and it borrows that car’s motors and battery. Mercedes teased the 1,000+ hp electric AMG SUV back in August.

Image: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes is launching three versions in the US:

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AMG GT 63 SUV: three axial-flux motors, 1,153 hp peak, 1,475 lb-ft, 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds (2.4 with one-foot rollout), 168 mph limited

AMG GT 55 SUV: three axial-flux motors, 805 hp peak, 1,372 lb-ft, 0-60 mph in 3.0 seconds (2.7 with rollout)

AMG GT 53 SUV: two conventional synchronous motors, 536 hp peak, 590 lb-ft, 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds (3.7 with rollout)

Those are peak numbers, and Mercedes’ acceleration times are still estimates. Continuous output is 711 hp on both the GT 63 and GT 55, and 362 hp on the GT 53.

Image: Mercedes-Benz

The axial-flux motors are the interesting hardware here. They’re flat, pancake-shaped motors that deliver a lot more power for their weight than the radial-flux motors in most EVs. Mercedes bought UK axial-flux specialist YASA in 2021, and the tech has already made its way down to the AMG CLA 45 with three axial-flux motors.

128 kWh pack and 710 kW charging

The GT 63 and GT 55 get a 128 kWh (usable) 800-volt battery pack, while the GT 53 makes do with 106 kWh. Mercedes uses tall, narrow cylindrical cells with an NCMA cathode and silicon in the anode, and it claims more than 298 Wh/kg at the cell level. Each cell is bathed in non-conductive oil for cooling.

The charging specs are the most impressive we have seen coming from a legacy automaker. Mercedes rates the big-battery versions for up to 710 kW DC, with a 10-80% charge in 12 minutes. That’s enough to add up to 454 km (282 miles) of WLTP range in 10 minutes. The GT 53 peaks at 600 kW and does 10-80% in 11 minutes.

But there’s a catch for US buyers. Most of the fastest public chargers here, like the ones IONNA is rolling out across the country, are rated for 400 kW. Mercedes lists NACS among the five charging standards the GT SUV supports, so Supercharger access shouldn’t be a problem. Charging anywhere near 710 kW will be.

The fastest charger in the US pipeline is a 750 kW unit that has already slipped to next year, while China already has 2,250 kW chargers in service.

WLTP range is 620 to 700 km (385 to 435 miles) for the GT 63 and GT 55, and 597 to 668 km (371 to 415 miles) for the GT 53. Expect lower EPA numbers. This thing is heavy: the GT 63 SUV weighs 2,695 kg (5,942 lb), even with a slippery 0.27 drag coefficient.

Image: Mercedes-Benz

Fake V8 sound, rear steering and a tiny frunk

Like the GT 4-Door, the SUV gets AMG’s simulated engine sound. In its AMGFORCE Sport+ setting, it plays back recorded V8 sounds on the GT 63 and GT 55, and a six-cylinder on the GT 53, with virtual gearshifts you can trigger with the paddles. Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius is a big believer in the fake V8. Thankfully, there’s a “Silent” setting – so the fake sounds are optional.

Rear-axle steering of up to 6 degrees comes standard. The GT 63 also gets AMG Active Ride Control+ as standard, which swaps mechanical anti-roll bars for active hydraulics and air springs.

Image: Mercedes-Benz

Inside, there’s a 14-inch central screen merged with a 10.2-inch driver display, plus an optional 14-inch passenger screen. It’s a five-seater with 21.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and a small 2.8-cubic-foot frunk.

Image: Mercedes-Benz

How it stacks up against the Porsche Cayenne Electric

The obvious target is Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo Electric. Here’s how the top trims compare, using each automaker’s own figures:

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 SUV Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric Peak power 1,153 hp 1,139 hp 0-60 mph (1-ft rollout) 2.4 s (est.) 2.4 s Top speed 168 mph 162 mph Battery 128 kWh usable 113 kWh Max DC charging 710 kW 400 kW 10-80% charge 12 min under 16 min US price not announced $163,000

Acceleration is a dead heat. The Mercedes has a bigger pack and charges 310 kW faster on paper. Mercedes hasn’t released pricing yet.

Electrek’s Take

The 0-60 times don’t matter much anymore. Every flagship EV now does it in the 2-second range, and the GT 63 SUV and the Cayenne Turbo Electric literally tie at 2.4 seconds. Nobody is cross-shopping a 6,000-lb SUV on launch times.

What matters is the battery and the charging. A 128 kWh usable pack with silicon anodes, oil-immersed cells and a 710 kW peak is serious engineering, and it puts Mercedes clearly ahead of Porsche on the spec that actually affects how you live with an EV. That’s not something we could say about Mercedes’ first-gen EQ cars, and AMG deserves some credit for it.

But this is a halo product, and the market for $150,000-plus electric SUVs is tiny. Mercedes knows it: it just cut the EQE and the Maybach EQS SUV from its 2027 lineup. And in the US, there’s almost nowhere to charge at 710 kW today, so buyers will mostly be paying for headroom on future stations.

Now, I’m curious to see the regen on those axial flux motors. I’m hearing they can recover so much power that they can fully replace brakes, even in performance driving.

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