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The GT 4-door coupe can hit 200 km/h faster than a Honda Prelude can hit 100 km/h.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communicati/The Globe and Mail

To capture the hearts of performance car enthusiasts without a high-revving, high-powered gas engine, an electric vehicle must find new ways to trigger a driver’s adrenaline. Mercedes-AMG has accepted that challenge, promising that its upcoming electric four-door coupe will rewrite the rules of performance.

Shortly before its global launch Wednesday morning, the German automaker hosted a press preview in Hamburg, showcasing its new 2027 AMG GT 4-Door Coupe.

Like its predecessor, this GT 4-Door is a four-seat performance sedan defined by exotic coke bottle proportions and a fastback roofline – but this time it’s fully electric. AMG previously faced criticism for its uninspired EQ models and for dropping its signature V8 in the C63 and E63 lines. Rumours hint at the V8’s revival, but the specs on this new luxury sedan are next level, overshadowing those past missteps.

The GT 4-Door uses three axial flux motors, two on the rear axle and one in the front powered by a new 800-volt battery with direct liquid cooling that the company says helps to provide continuous power delivery of 530 kilowatts (711 horsepower) and up to a massive 860 kilowatts (1,169 horsepower) during launch control. Acceleration is undoubtedly rapid, with a quoted zero to 100 kilometres an hour time of 2.1 seconds and a zero to 200 kilometres an hour time of 6.8 seconds – which is faster than it takes a standard Honda Prelude to reach 100 kilometres an hour.

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The GT 4-door uses three axial flux motors, two on the rear axle and one in the front.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communicati/The Globe and Mail

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The front seats and dash with three massive screens.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communicati/The Globe and Mail

But there’s more on the table as AMG reveals its new performance-based electric architecture has been designed for outputs up to 1,000 kilowatts, suggesting the brand has plenty of room to push the limits further.

Charging time for the GT 4-Door’s 106-kilowatt-hour battery is nearly as fast as its acceleration, capable of replenishing electrons at a rate of up to 600 kilowatts, a figure that exceeds the output of any charging station in Canada. If you were to find a 600-kilowatt charger (which AMG reveals are slowly popping up in Germany), you would be able to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 11 minutes, which is similar to the length of a typical gas station stop.

Using a 350-kilowatt charger, which is the fastest available in Canada, means that the GT 4-Door could theoretically use the charger’s full capacity without any drop off for the duration of the session. That’s because the new battery is capable of charging at much higher speeds than the charger can supply, so it never gets warm enough to throttle speeds.

AMG credits these ultra-fast charging speeds to its new high-performance battery concept that was proven in the AMG GT XX prototype, which broke 25 long-distance records at the Nardo Ring high-speed test track in Italy in August 2025. Over seven days, 13 hours, 24 minutes and seven seconds, it covered 40,075 kilometres – the equivalent of earth’s circumference at the equator. Drivers maintained a constant speed of 300 kilometres an hour, stopping only to recharge before accelerating back to 300. The AMG GT XX also shattered the one-day EV distance record, travelling 5,479 kilometres.

Charging at an average of 850 kilowatts – more than double the speed of the fastest chargers available here – can add about 400 kilometres of range in just five minutes. That’s enough juice for a drive from Toronto to Sudbury, Ont. Peak charging speeds of more than 1,000 kilowatts are possible but pushing that much power risks accelerating battery degradation, says Bertram Tschamon, who leads the development for AMG’s high-performance batteries.

Tschamon says these charging speeds are possible because of the new battery design and a new direct cooling system that keeps each of the 2,660 cylindrical cells at the same temperature. This ensures each cell is capable of producing its full power output, which is important because one cell performing sub-optimally affects the entire battery pack.

A central cooling hub incorporated into the spine of the car contains everything necessary to ensure that all of the vehicle’s systems, including the battery pack, remain cool during high-load driving and high ambient temperatures. Technology used in the GT 4-Door combines experience not just from the record-breaking prototype but also AMG’s expertise in Formula One and its street legal AMG One hypercar.

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The trunk is pretty spacious for a car with this much performance.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communicati/The Globe and Mail

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The frunk on the GT 4-door coupe.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communicati/The Globe and Mail

The battery isn’t the only new innovation; the GT 4-Door will be the first production car to use axial flux motors as its sole means of propulsion. They are shaped like discs and are more compact and more efficient than conventional motors.

AMG powertrain engineer Claus Schulte-Coerne says these motors were developed by YASA, a British electric motor manufacturer owned by Mercedes AG. “On the front axle, it’s only about nine centimetres wide but has three times the power and twice the torque density [of a normal motor],” he says.

A new driver-focused cockpit combines a 25.4-centimetre driver display and 35.6-centimetre centre screen that’s angled toward the driver. The front passenger also gets a 35.6-centimetre screen, as is de rigueur in high-end luxury cars. The rear features two sculpted buckets but a three-seat bench is an option. There’s also a large glass sunroof embedded with ambient lights.

All the AMG prerequisites are accounted for, including drive mode dials labelled Agility and Response that glow like a jet fighter’s afterburner. And while there’s no V8, AMG still brought the rumble with its new AMGFORCE S+ (you can’t make these names up) drive mode that delivers an “immersive V8 experience” inside the cabin, according to the company – complete with paddle shifters to mimic automatic gear changes. Like the Dodge Charger Daytona EV, it uses speakers located underneath the vehicle near the rear bumper frame to project performance sounds outside the car.

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There are drive mode dials labelled “Agility” and “Response” that glow like a jet-fighter’s afterburner.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communicati/The Globe and Mail

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The rear seats on the GT 4-door coupe.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communicati/The Globe and Mail

Special attention was given to aerodynamics: the vehicle incorporates active underbody flaps, active front and rear spoilers and a large rear diffuser that deploys at highways speeds.

Production begins this summer in Sindelfingen, Germany, the same location where the S-Class is made. Two version will be available at launch; the GT 55 with 816 horsepower, and the GT 63 with 1,169.

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There is access to 1,169 horsepower during launch control.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communicati/The Globe and Mail

The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.

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