- Mercedes-Benz is reportedly working on an electric AMG supercar
- The electric supercar would be the SLS AMG Electric Drive's successor
- The 2023 Vision One-Eleven concept might have previewed the new supercar
Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance division is planning an electric supercar that could serve as a successor to the SLS AMG Electric Drive, reports Autocar.
Unveiled at the 2012 Paris auto show, the SLS AMG Electric Drive was a limited-production derivative of the gasoline SLS AMG sports car. It replaced the standard car's 6.2-liter V-8 with four electric motors, which produced a combined 740 hp and 737 lb-ft of torque—much more than the gasoline version.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive
While it had impressive specs, the SLS AMG Electric Drive was more of an early electrification experiment than a fully-realized product. Mercedes originally planned to build 100 cars, but only nine were actually produced, according to a 2021 RM Sotheby's auction listing for one of those cars.
In both gasoline and electric forms, the SLS featured gullwing doors as an homage to the classic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL of the 1950s. According to Autocar, the new electric supercar could take the retro theme even further, taking design inspiration from the Vision One-Eleven, an EV concept unveiled in 2023 as a modern tribute to the Mercedes-Benz C111 series of prototypes from the 1970s.
Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven concept
The Vision One Eleven served as a showcase for axial-flux motors developed by Yasa, a U.K. company Mercedes acquired in 2021. They'll likely be used in the production supercar as well, according to Autocar, although configuration and output are still unclear. Yasa previously said one motor could deliver 489 hp.
Autocar also reports that the supercar will have cylindrical battery cells with silicon-anode battery tech from U.S. firm Sila. The company, which counts Mercedes as an investor, claimed a 20% range boost from its silicon anodes in 2023. Mercedes previously confirmed plans to use Sila's silicon anodes in a longer-range version of the electric G-Class SUV, due later in the decade.
Prototype for first EV fully developed by Mercedes-Benz AMG
The supercar will use the EV-specific modular platform dubbed AMG.EA that will debut in an upcoming electric replacement for today's AMG GT 4-Door, according to the report. Based on the Vision AMG concept revealed in 2022, the four-door is expected to arrive in 2025 or later.
AMG has already produced more powerful versions of existing Mercedes EVs. But an all-electric supercar will help prove that this combustion-engine brand can truly master performance EVs.
