Even in the wake of this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show - which has lost some of its glam if we’re being completely honest - it’s hard to ignore one launch in particular, namely the Porsche Taycan.

In all fairness, the Taycan has indeed been teased and then teased some more over the past months, however, when Porsche finally dropped the mic and unveiled its first-ever electric sports car, the audience had plenty of things to absorb.

The same can be said about Porsche’s arch-rival Mercedes-Benz, whose plans to introduce an electric AMG-badged model that would compete with the Taycan have been highlighted in Frankfurt by Mercedes-Benz head honcho Ola Kallenius.

Don’t get us wrong; it’s not that the Taycan’s reveal instantly stimulated Mercedes-AMG to take measures towards bringing forward a rival for Porsche’s electric car. It’s safe to assume that the three-pointed-star company has had this avenue in its sight for some time now, so what better way to drop the gauntlet then at the Frankfurt Motor Show?



The news about a potential AMG-badged all-electric sports car aimed at the Porsche Taycan came via Auto Express. The outlet had a chat with Daimler boss Ola Kallenius, who confirmed that a fully electric Mercedes-AMG sports car is in the making. This is certainly a step forward from AMG’s current approach which involves the use of an electrified powertrain for some of its cars - which, in fact, would be more accurately described as a mild-hybrid system rather than a full-blown setup like the one used by the Honda/Acura NSX, for example.

Ola Kallenius>

Besides the mild-hybrid system AMG employs in some of its cars, Mercedes-Benz isn’t short of all-electric powertrain options. The brand’s first-ever fully-electric car aka the EQC uses two asynchronous electric motors that generate 300 kW (402 horsepower) and 760 Nm (560 pound-feet) of torque between them. As a result, the EQC reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 5.1 seconds and tops out at 180 km/h (112 mph) only because of an electronic speed limiter.

Most likely, Affalterbach will have to go beyond the current 80-kWh battery pack for an AMG-badged vehicle, but that’s not an impossible task. As a last resort, Mercedes-Benz could even strike some sort of deal with go-to electric supercar specialist Rimac, who’s already been working with Porsche on the Taycan and is rumored to have a say in the upcoming all-electric R8 successor.

Mercedes EQC specifications

Estimated Range

Up to 200 miles

Drive system

2 asynchronous motors, all-wheel drive

Rated output

402 hp

Peak torque

560 lb-ft

Top speed (mph)

112 mph (electronically limited)

Acceleration 0-60 mph

4.9 s (est.)

Battery

Lithium-ion

Battery capacity

80 kWh


That’s all just a nebula of information for the time being, but we must not forget that Mercedes-AMG is no stranger to electrified high-performance cars. Those who remember the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Coupe Electric Drive know that Stuttgart has been playing around with the idea of an all-electric super-sports car for some time. The high-performance EV is also a good indication of what sort of performance Mercedes-AMG would aim to extract from a future sports car powered solely by electricity.

The Mercedes-AMG SLS Coupe Electric Drive was the first shift in the AMG V-8 and V-12 paradigm

In return, it was capable of dispatching the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) band in 3.9 seconds and pick up the pace to an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Needless to say, the Electric Drive version of the otherwise brilliant gull-winged AMG SLS tipped the scales at 2,200 kilos (4,850 pounds), which is pretty much what a full-size SUV weighs these days.

The AMG SLS Electric Drive relied on a Lithium-ion, 60-kWh battery pack which Mercedes deemed sufficient for a maximum combined range of 250 kilometers (155 miles) according to the NEDC.

Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Coupe Electric Drive - Key Specs


Max output

552 kW

Torque

1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft)

0-100 km/h

3.9 s

Top speed

250 km/h (155 mph)

Range

250 km (155 miles) (NEDC)

Battery energy

60 kWh

Battery voltage

400 volts


Final Thoughts

For all we know so far, Mercedes-AMG still has its hands full with the Project One hypercar, and we haven’t heard anything of it in quite a while. So, even if an all-electric rival for the Porsche Taycan is in the making, AMG will first want to wrap things up with the Project One and then carry one with R&D-ing its battery-powered high-performance car.

Since Mr. Kallenius didn’t actually provide a timeline or any other sort of clues regarding AMG’s electric sports car debut date, it’s safe to say that a couple of years will pass until the model actually makes a debut. But fret not, with today’s teasing strategies widely employed by carmakers from A to Z, we’ll be hearing shortly of any new developments. Let’s hope it’s not through a blackened out photo, though.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Mercedes-Benz EQC.

Read our full review on the 2013 Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive.