Founded in 1967 and controlled by Daimler AG since 1999, the mad professors at AMG are responsible for the most insane Benzes out there, including the fastest road-legal car on the Nürburgring. But Mercedes-AMG is fully aware that electrification is the only route forward into the 2020s, which is why the brand-new EQS will get a go-faster makeover.
Looking back into the not-so-distant past, AMG has a little bit of experience in terms of performance-oriented EVs. The SLS Electric Drive is the car I’m referring to, a special edition that sold fewer than 100 units worldwide.
Merc kindly reminds us the SLS Electric Drive is “the most electric supercar” in the following clip, which ends in a rather interesting fashion. “This is our legacy. Imagine our future. #areyouAMGready” is the line that pretty much confirms the inevitable for the Affalterbach-based performance division that prides itself with the infamous “one man, one engine” credo.
The all-electric SLS was revealed at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, launched in June 2013, and used to cost €416,500 excluding options. That price converts to $508,115 at current exchange rates, which is more expensive than a brand-new GT Black Series but not quite as expensive as the ONE.
Mercedes-AMG calls the SLS Electric Drive a supercar because it features not one, not two, but four electric motors with combined output ratings of 751 PS (740 horsepower) and 1,000 Nm (738 pound-feet) of torque. 3.9 seconds to 100 kilometers (62 miles per hour) in 2013 was hugely impressive, but the yardstick has moved a lot in the eight years since then.
Tesla is the perfect example in this regard, with the Plaid option for the Model S, a tri-motor sedan that shoots to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in 1.99 seconds. The Plaid+ is even more intense, but we’re not going to see it until mid-2022, according to Tesla’s online configurator.
Still, do you think that AMG will eventually beat Tesla in a straight line?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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