BMW has already confirmed that it’s working on a full-electric M3, complete with four electric drive units and Gen6 technology adapted for high-performance road and track use. Mercedes-AMG is not going to watch that happen from the sidelines, and this brings us to the spiciest electric C-Class of them all.
Spied doing its thing with production-intent bodywork and lights, the go-faster model sits closer to the ground while donning a broader front end. Much of the exterior has been reshaped around the hardware underneath, and the overall stance is considerably more aggressive than that of the Benz-branded C-Class with EQ Technology.
The headlights are one of the easiest details to read through the disguise, retaining the basic shape and three-pointed-star motif of lesser specifications. Everything around those headlights, on the other hand, looks angrier and more purposeful to boot.
Equipped with silver- and black-painted wheels, the prototype vehicle further shows oversized front and rear brake discs. Those diameters shouldn’t be viewed as overkill, not when you remember that electric vehicles often weigh more than equivalent internal combustion vehicles.
The roof is sleek and heavily raked toward the rear, continued by a fastback-like rear deck that ends in a flush-mounted active spoiler. When deployed, its role is to increase downforce over the rear axle, thus improving stability at higher speeds and when cornering like a man on a mission.
Photo: SH Proshots
The C-pillars are visibly different from what you’re getting on the internal combustion C-Class, whose punchiest AMG version combines a 2.0-liter turbo inline-four with plug-in hybrid muscle. Last but not least, there are no conventional door handles sticking out into the airflow.
AMG has taken the standard model’s aero-conscious foundation, adding hardware that actively changes the car’s aerodynamic behavior in the name of performance. Although it’s not clear how many electric drive units are in the offing, all-wheel drive is most certainly on the menu.
Not only does Mercedes-AMG have to best the plug-in hybrid C 63 on numbers alone, but the Affalterbach-based subsidiary of Mercedes also has to deliver a sedan that can keep its own against the Neue Klasse-based M3. Despite boasting a quad-motor setup, the zero-emission M3 is widely believed to produce 800-plus horsepower instead of cracking the 1,000-hp mark.
Such an output is fairly simple for AMG to achieve, especially when deploying axial-flux motors. Capable of up to 1,153 ponies for the flagship 63 trim, the GT 4-Door Coupe in EQ Technology flavor uses three electric motors developed with know-how from British electric motor specialist YASA.
Axial-flux motors solve two engineering hurdles of high-performance electric vehicles, namely packaging constraints and thermal degradation under hard driving. Even the CLA 45 comes with three axial-flux motors delivering a combined 670 horsepower, meaning that three motors and just around 800 horsepower is the most probable outcome for the spiciest C-Class yet.