Mercedes will soon be producing new models from, EQ, its upcoming electric sub-brand. The big news, however, is that the company is open to the concept of introducing high-performance AMG versions of these cars.
Although most may consider emission-free, eco-friendly electric cars as polar opposites of high-performance models, Ola Kallenius, Mercedes’ R&D boss thinks otherwise. He states “AMG has always been about driving performance and offering customers a superior experience, but at the same time — and I think this is the sweet spot of AMG — they are cars you can really drive every day. Electrification will find its way into AMG. It’s not impossible that you’ll have a fully-electric version or an AMG variant of an EQ.”
There are already strong indications that mild-hybrid systems will be used on upcoming V6 and V8 engines from AMG. Furthermore, this won’t be the first time that Mercedes will develop an all-electric high performance car. It had made the SLS Electric Drive, which was sold in limited numbers in 2013.
“The SLS Electric Drive was a preview of what the future could look like,” Kallenius said. “That was a research project, a know-how builder for AMG to get our heads around electrification. It’s just a matter of time until we go more and more electric.”