Mercedes-AMG GT SUV: 1,153 HP of Electric Excess
Mercedes-AMG's first in-house SUV is electric: up to 1,153 hp, 0-60 in 2.4 seconds, 710 kW charging. Here are the GT53, GT55 and GT63 specs and prices.
AMG has spent nearly six decades tuning other people's Mercedes-Benzes. Now, for the first time, it has built an SUV entirely on its own — and it is fully electric. The 2028 Mercedes-AMG GT SUV, revealed this week, is the second model on the dedicated AMG.EA high-performance architecture after the GT 4-Door sedan, and it arrives in three versions topping out at a scarcely believable 1,153 horsepower. Here is everything that matters.
Three Versions, Three Personalities
The lineup splits cleanly into an entry model and two flagships that share the same exotic motor technology.
GT53 — the newcomer with no sedan equivalent. Two conventional radial-flux permanent-magnet motors (one front, one rear with a two-speed transmission), 536 peak horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. It is roughly 400 pounds lighter than its siblings, reaches 62 mph in 3.8 seconds, tops out at 155 mph with the Driver's Package, and carries a 106-kWh battery. WLTP range is a claimed 370–415 miles.
GT55 — the middle child with the flagship hardware. Three axial-flux motors (two rear for torque vectoring, one front) making 805 peak horsepower — 711 sustained — and 1,372 lb-ft. The 0–62 mph run drops by a full second versus the GT53, top speed rises to 168 mph, and the battery grows to 128 kWh.
GT63 — the headline. The same three axial-flux motors tuned to 1,153 peak horsepower and 1,475 lb-ft of torque, 0–60 mph in a claimed 2.4 seconds, 124 mph in 6.8 seconds, and a curb weight of 5,941 pounds. For context, that edges past the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric's 1,139 hp in the escalating electric-SUV power war.
Why Axial-Flux Motors Matter
Axial-flux motors are flatter, lighter, and more power-dense than the radial-flux units in nearly every other EV — but they have been notoriously hard to manufacture at scale, which is why they previously appeared only in hypercars like the Ferrari 296 GTB and Lamborghini Revuelto. Mercedes says it has invested heavily in making them producible, and the GT SUV puts three of them in a two-row family crossover. That is arguably the bigger engineering story than the horsepower figure.
Battery, Charging and Range
The GT55 and GT63 use an 800-volt pack with 22 modules — 128 kWh usable, up 22 percent from the sedan's 106 kWh — developed with lessons from Mercedes' F1 program and able to switch between 400- and 800-volt operation. Claimed WLTP range is 385–435 miles; expect EPA figures closer to 330–370 miles.
Charging is the eyebrow-raiser: the big pack accepts up to 710 kW, with a 10–80 percent charge in about 12 minutes. Even the GT53's 106-kWh pack charges at 600 kW, doing 10–80 percent in roughly 11 minutes. Those rates exceed nearly every public charger currently deployed in the US — the car is ready for infrastructure that doesn't quite exist yet.
Chassis: Fighting Physics With Software
At nearly 200 inches long on a 120-inch wheelbase, with a drag coefficient of 0.27 and almost three tons to manage in GT63 form, AMG threw its full chassis arsenal at the problem:
- AMG Active Ride Control+ — cross-linked dampers with active roll and pitch stabilization, now also interconnecting front and rear axles to control squat and dive.
- Rear-wheel steering standard.
- Carbon-ceramic brakes standard on GT63, optional on GT55; the GT53 runs steel.
- Active aero front and rear.
Inside, the cabin mirrors the GT 4-Door: a 10.2-inch driver display, a 14-inch center screen angled toward the driver, a 14-inch passenger screen, and the three-knob AMG drive controls. The AMGFORCE Sport+ mode adds simulated gearchanges, a synthesized V8 (or six-cylinder in the GT53) soundtrack, and even seat shakers — an admission that 1,153 silent horsepower still needs theater.
Price and Timing
European pricing starts at €113,050 (about $127,500) for the GT53, with orders there opening October 20, 2026. GT55 and GT63 order books open in spring 2027, and US deliveries of all three are slated for summer 2027. Final US pricing is unannounced, but the GT53 is expected around $130,000, with the GT63 well above it.
Why It Matters
Between Tesla's flying Roadster last week and this, the performance-car arms race has clearly moved to electrons — and to SUVs. AMG's first ground-up SUV signals that even the most combustion-romantic brand in the business now sees its flagship future as electric, axial-flux, and software-managed. The fact that its 1,153-hp family hauler is aimed squarely at Porsche's Cayenne Turbo Electric tells you exactly where the industry's center of gravity is.
FAQ
Is the AMG GT SUV fully electric?
Yes — all three versions (GT53, GT55, GT63) are battery-electric, built on AMG's dedicated AMG.EA 800-volt architecture. There is no combustion or hybrid variant.
When can I buy one?
European GT53 orders opened October 20, 2026; GT55 and GT63 orders open spring 2027. First US deliveries are planned for summer 2027.
How does it compare to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric?
The GT63's 1,153 hp slightly exceeds the Cayenne Turbo Electric's 1,139 hp, and the AMG counters with faster charging (up to 710 kW) and a 2.4-second 0–60 claim. The Porsche remains the handling benchmark until independent tests say otherwise.
What is an axial-flux motor?
A motor design where magnetic flux flows parallel to the axle rather than radially, producing far more power per kilogram. The trade-off has historically been manufacturing difficulty — the GT55 and GT63 are the first series-production applications of a three-motor axial-flux setup.