If you see it live, the Vision AMG resembles a monolithic sculpture. This concept car marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Mercedes-Benz sports brand, which is all about electrification. Underpinning this particularly sexy model is the new AMG.EA platform, dedicated exclusively to the German group’s high-performance EVs. «What is one of the most important ingredients of a true sports car? A minimum ground clearance that improves design and performance», explains Robert Lesnik, head of exterior design at Mercedes-Benz, whom we meet at the group’s style centre in the hills of the Côte d’Azur, a few kilometres from Nice.
True sports car height
«The new platform allowed us to create a low and tapered car thanks to the positioning of the battery pack at the front and under the passenger seats». Once the ground clearance was established, two lines were enough to shape the model: «The belt line starts at the front and goes straight to the rear, while the roof line draws the pillar and descends to the slightly elongated tail. The volumes they create are full, powerful and very elegant, obeying the laws of aerodynamics, which in this case help us to improve the car’s performance and range», continues Lesnik.
All the AMG ingredients
«The continuous flow of surfaces moulded and sculpted by the wind produces an electric supercar capable of stimulating passion and desire, the true ingredients that distinguish an authentic sports car», adds Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer of Mercedes-Benz and a high performance car enthusiast. Indeed, in the Vision AMG the Grand Touring details are all there: long wheelbase, steeply inclined and forward positioned A-pillar, short front overhang and long rear end for aerodynamics.
New stylistic features
Elements that on their own would have been enough to give the Vision AMG a sporty personality, but the exterior team led by Robert Lesnik (the interiors have not been completed yet) also wanted to reinterpret some of the ever-present AMG stylistic features in a futuristic key and propose new ones. The Panamericana Grille, already the brand’s face, now reveals its electric version, which is closed to optimise aerodynamics, while the typical chrome of the ten slats and the perimeter have been replaced by LED backlighting. «The traditional headlights have disappeared. What shines now are three star-shaped light segments joined at the centre by a thin line of full-width LEDs: the effectiveness of simplicity».
Headlights or exhaust pipes?
The inspiration for the rear comes directly from the Vision EQXX concept, but the tail has been shortened for aesthetic reasons. What is intriguing is the solution adopted for the rear lights, shifted downwards and made up of six circular elements designed to look like exhaust pipes. «A tribute to the roaring sports cars powered by combustion engines», explains Lesnik, and more than a hint at the future: we will find them again, probably in a raised position for roadworthiness reasons, on the electric AMGs of tomorrow.
Debut in 2025
Speaking of production cars, the AMG Vision is a preview of a 100 per cent electric production model that will replace the current GT 4 Door Coupé in 2025, also ushering in the new styling imprint of AMG: «A brand that will also be increasingly independent when it comes to design», concludes Wagener.
(Full article in A&D n. 256)
