Mercedes-AMG has just dropped a teaser for their first fully electric SUV, scheduled for a 2026 debut. Built on a dedicated AMG platform, this model aims to go beyond the typical formula of adding special touches to a standard Mercedes SUV. Instead, it’s designed from the ground up with AMG’s performance DNA at the core. Developed “entirely in-house” on the AMG.EA architecture, it will be a bespoke AMG offering, rather than the performance derivative of a Mercedes SUV. The brand’s insistence on it being “AMG first, all-electric second” hints at a potential rethink of what an electric performance SUV can actually deliver.

The teaser sketch gives us a few clues. It reveals a muscular profile with a long hood, aggressive fender lines, and a sweeping roofline that’s a bit more Purosangue-inspired than you’d expect from a German SUV. Still, it’s less ostentatious than Ferrari’s take—AMG has always preferred a slightly more understated approach to menace. The AMG.EA platform features an 800V architecture and is expected to support both the upcoming, yet-to-be-named SUV and the electric successor to the 4-Door AMG GT. Both EVs will be equipped with lightweight axial-flux electric motors, custom-developed for AMG by UK-based company Yasa. A quad-motor setup is expected to produce over 1,000 hp, offering all-wheel-drive and advanced torque vectoring abilities. The model will also benefit from four-wheel steering, active suspension, and an AMG-specific battery.

The SUV is expected to be similar in size to the 2022 Vision AMG concept, measuring around 5.1 meters in length, with a wheelbase stretching over 3 meters. This gives it a larger footprint than the ICE-powered Mercedes-AMG GLE 63, edging it closer to the scale of the fully electric EQS SUV flagship. On paper, its rivals span both ends of the propulsion spectrum. It’ll face off against gas-powered heavyweights like the Porsche Cayenne GT and Aston Martin DBX, as well as hybrid and all-electric contenders such as the BMW XM, Lamborghini Urus, and the Lotus Eletre. We’ll likely get more breadcrumbs from AMG in the months to come, as the slow-drip teaser campaign ramps up. The company has confirmed that development test drives are set to begin this winter.