Mercedes' decision to bet on electric sports cars is beginning to generate an uncomfortable debate within the company itself. A senior executive, whose identity was not revealed, launched harsh criticism against the new electric four-door AMG GT and directly questioned whether the model has reached production.
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The statement is especially striking because it is not an external observer or a rival of the brand. According to the source, the project continued despite the fact that within Mercedes there were already doubts about the demand for a high-performance sports car powered exclusively by batteries.
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The model is not exactly discreet in its figures. The four-door electric AMG GT reaches 1,169 horsepower and represents one of Mercedes-AMG's most ambitious bets to try to bring electric performance to a territory traditionally dominated by combustion engines.
The problem started with the EQS and EQE
To understand the executive's annoyance we have to go back to the first large electric vehicles developed by Mercedes. The EQS and EQE were conceived as fundamental pieces of the company's transition, but their commercial performance ended up far from initial expectations.
The brand had invested billions in the development of these vehicles and subsequently had to assume significant costs related to production, marketing and launch. According to the anonymous source cited in the original text, the conclusion within the company was forceful: “It became clear then that these cars were the biggest failures in the history of the company.”
The problem became even more evident towards the end of 2023. Sales of the EQS and EQE electric sedans had fallen by 90%, an especially hard blow for a strategy that had placed these models at the center of Mercedes' technological transformation.
The electrical bet continued
Despite these signs, several projects continued to move forward. The electrification of the G-Class and the development of the four-door AMG GT were part of a strategy that sought to accelerate the transition and bring Mercedes closer to manufacturers such as Tesla.
The business logic seemed clear at the time. The company wanted to reduce the technological distance with its competitors and demonstrate that electric vehicles could also occupy spaces associated with luxury, sportiness and high performance.
The problem appeared when demand expectations began to clash with the tastes of traditional buyers. An important part of AMG customers still looks for combustion engines, especially the V8s that for decades have been one of the main hallmarks of the sports division.
When Mercedes detected this change in scenario more clearly, stopping certain programs was no longer easy. The projects were too advanced and had consumed a considerable amount of resources.
“This car shouldn't even exist.”
The electric AMG GT ended up becoming the symbol of that internal tension. The anonymous executive was especially forceful when referring to the model: “This car shouldn't even exist.”
The same source added another sentence that summarizes the problem Mercedes faced during development: “But it was too late to stop it.”
The situation does not end with this model either. Mercedes plans to present two other high-performance electric vehicles, first an SUV and later an SUV variant with a coupe body.
The brand thus tries to broaden the appeal of its electric vehicles and demonstrate that the absence of a thermal engine does not have to mean giving up performance. The new Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4MATIC is precisely part of that search for a more sporty personality within the electric range.
AMG faces a difficult test
The case of the electric GT opens an important question for Mercedes-AMG: How many electric sports cars can the company develop before the market forces it to change course again?
On paper, the AMG GT's numbers are hard to argue with. An output of 1,169 horsepower puts it in impressive territory. However, numbers do not necessarily solve the underlying problem.
The weight of the batteries, the loss of sound and the characteristic response of V8 engines can be decisive factors for those who buy an AMG precisely for the experience it offers.
Mercedes will have to find a balance between the electrification that its strategy demands and what its most loyal customers expect. The electric AMG GT will be one of the clearest proofs of this coexistence and, according to the criticism that is already circulating within the company, it could also become one of the most questioned experiments of this new stage.
