Tag Archives: Mercedes-AMG

News

Mercedes-AMG Opens New Brand Center in Hamburg: A Temple for Performance Enthusiasts

Mercedes-Benz is doubling down on its AMG sub-brand in Germany. On September 18, 2025, the company cut the ribbon on its second AMG Brand Center in the country, this one in Hamburg-Wandsbek. Following the Essen location, the new facility is a sprawling, 1,400-square-meter, two-story shrine to performance that blends cars, architecture, and lifestyle into one cohesive experience.

Matthias Kallis, chairman of the management board of Mercedes-Benz branches in Hamburg and Northern Germany, made it clear that the center is about more than just sheetmetal. “With the new AMG Brand Center in Hamburg, we are making a clear statement of our connection with customers in northern Germany. Here, we combine exclusive architecture, fascinating vehicles, and tailor-made services to create a holistic brand experience,” he said.

A Brand Experience Beyond the Showroom

The AMG Brand Center Hamburg isn’t just another dealership with fancier lights. Its design makes the AMG world feel like an immersive stage. Visitors are greeted by an angular façade inspired by AMG’s 52° logo, with red LED accents tracing lines that recall racetracks. Inside, gray tones, exposed concrete, and a stone carpet mimicking racing asphalt set the mood for up to a dozen performance machines displayed at any given time. A panoramic corner window—12 meters wide and three meters high—provides a dramatic view of halo models from the upper floor.

On the ground level, a glazed dialogue reception area with an integrated lift invites customers to inspect their cars alongside AMG service advisors—an experience that sounds equal parts engineering tour and concierge check-in. Add in a boutique stocked with AMG-branded accessories, a tie-in with Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, and even a café bar, and the facility veers more toward private members’ club than traditional dealership.

A Grand Opening Worthy of the AMG Badge

The September 18 opening wasn’t short on spectacle. Roughly 250 guests from the public, cultural, and business spheres attended a party hosted by TV presenter Rebecca Mir. The night featured a mix of music—Tom Gaebel, the award-winning jazz singer, brought big-band flair—and cuisine courtesy of celebrity chef Cornelia Poletto. Of course, the stars of the evening were the cars: the ultra-rare Mercedes-AMG GT3 Edition 130Y Motorsport, the AMG F1 Safety Car, the AMG ONE hypercar, and the open-cockpit Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed.

Global Footprint, Local Presence

With the Hamburg addition, AMG now counts centers in Tokyo, Toronto, Shanghai, and Essen. Each facility follows a unified design language while providing a local hub for enthusiasts to configure vehicles, book test drives, and engage with specially trained AMG experts. The goal is to deliver something deeper than a sales pitch—an ongoing relationship between brand and driver.

In a world where automakers are increasingly leaning on lifestyle and exclusivity, AMG’s Hamburg outpost feels like the next logical step: a boutique experience for the kind of customer who doesn’t just want to drive an AMG, but to live inside the brand’s world.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

News

Mercedes-AMG GT XX Shatters EV Records: 3405 Miles in 24 Hours

When Mercedes-AMG rolls out a “concept,” it’s rarely just a flashy design study. The new GT XX prototype—a wild, high-performance electric super-saloon that previews the next AMG GT 4-Door Coupé—has just rewritten the record books. Over the course of an eight-day torture test at the Nardò proving ground in Italy, the GT XX not only set a new 24-hour EV distance record but also lapped the planet—figuratively—covering 24,907 miles in just seven days, 13 hours, and 24 minutes.

The headline stat is staggering: 3405 miles in 24 hours, at an average speed of 186 mph, pausing only for lightning-quick charges at up to 900 kW. That obliterates the previous mark of 2461 miles set by XPeng’s P7 just weeks earlier, as well as attempts from Xiaomi’s YU7 Max and even Mercedes’ own CLA electric prototype.

A Jules Verne-Inspired World Tour

Mercedes-AMG cheekily dubbed the campaign “Around the World in 80 Days”—but they did it in less than eight. Using two GT XX test cars, 17 professional drivers (including AMG F1 driver George Russell) rotated through three shifts around Nardò’s 7.8-mile banked oval. Supporting them: over 100 engineers and logistics personnel, plus a mission-control team back at AMG HQ in Affalterbach managing charge strategy. It was less a record run than a military-style operation.

And it worked. Along the way, AMG ticked off endurance marks for 12, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 hours, as well as distance milestones at 2000, 5000, 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, and 25,000 miles. No EV has ever gone further, faster, for longer.

Engineering at the Edge

The key to the GT XX’s relentless pace is its 1341-hp tri-motor setup—two axial-flux motors at the rear, one at the front—running on an 800-volt architecture. Power comes from a 114-kWh cylindrical-cell battery cooled by an oil-immersion system developed with AMG’s Formula 1 powertrain team at Brixworth. The system uses 40 liters of coolant to maintain peak thermal stability, enabling blistering fast charges without degradation.

How blistering? Mercedes claims the GT XX can theoretically add 249 miles of range in just five minutes. That charging efficiency proved decisive: short stops combined with a sweet-spot cruising speed of 186 mph delivered the best balance of speed and efficiency.

Legacy and What Comes Next

The feat echoes Mercedes’ history of using extreme prototypes—like the C111 test mules of the 1970s—to validate future technologies. AMG boss Michael Schiebe was clear: “Enormous performance and extremely fast charging were always available and made these records possible. For customers of our future electric models, this means they will get a genuine AMG—no ifs, no buts.”

While the GT XX itself won’t reach showrooms, its tech package previews AMG’s upcoming AMG.EA platform, which will underpin everything from hyper-sedans to a 1000-hp electric super-SUV due in 2027. First up: the next AMG GT 4-Door Coupé, scheduled for late 2026 with claimed performance of 0–62 mph in under 2.5 seconds and a 224 mph top speed.

Why It Matters

Records aside, the GT XX is proof that Mercedes-AMG isn’t just keeping pace in the EV arms race—it’s trying to set the rules. In an era where charging speed and efficiency matter as much as horsepower, Affalterbach just delivered a masterclass.

The takeaway? The future of AMG performance isn’t just fast. It’s relentlessly fast, all day long.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

Tuning

Vuk Manufaktur Gives the AMG C 63 S the Engine It Deserves—Plus a 190E-Inspired Makeover

What’s the best way to make Mercedes-AMG’s controversial C 63 S more appealing to purists? For Vuk Manufaktur, the answer is simple: rip out the four-cylinder hybrid and stuff a twin-turbo V-8 under the hood. Yes, the engine enthusiasts felt the car should’ve had all along is back—just not from Affalterbach.

Earlier this year, the German tuner unveiled its V8-swapped W206 C 63 S, effectively delivering the AMG sedan that never was. But that was merely the opening act. Now comes the Vuk EVOlution X, a hotter, wider, and wilder take on the C-Class that looks like it just rolled out of DTM’s glory days.

The AMG That Wasn’t

Let’s be honest: AMG’s decision to replace the C 63’s thunderous 4.0-liter V-8 with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder hybrid was always going to sting. Sure, the factory setup is technically advanced and makes big numbers on paper, but emotionally? It’s a tough sell in a segment where sound and soul matter almost as much as speed.

Vuk’s solution? Return to basics—if “basics” means a twin-turbo V-8 and a visual overhaul inspired by one of Mercedes’ most iconic touring cars.

The Evo II Connection

The EVOlution X body kit makes its intentions clear from the first glance. Up front sits a jutting splitter with support rods, the sort of aero appendage that suggests it’s ready to trade paint on the Nürburgring. The Evo II influence becomes unmistakable from the side profile: massively flared fenders stretch the stance far beyond stock, while six-spoke black wheels and deep side skirts complete the retro-racecar vibe.

And then there’s the rear. A towering wing dominates the tailgate, a wink to both the Evo II and AMG’s modern Black Series creations. A new diffuser, custom badging, and Petronas-green accents tie it all together with just enough motorsport flair to make you wonder how Mercedes-AMG didn’t think of this first.

Limited and Likely Pricey

Production will be capped at just 63 units worldwide—a nod to the model designation and a guarantee of exclusivity. Vuk hasn’t said how many of those will get the full EVOlution X treatment, nor has it revealed pricing. But given the amount of custom fabrication and the return of eight-cylinder thunder, don’t expect it to be anywhere near entry-level AMG money.

Why It Matters

The EVOlution X isn’t just a tuning exercise; it’s a statement. It proves there’s still demand for a visceral, V-8–powered C-Class—even if it takes a small German firm to deliver what AMG won’t.

For now, the factory C 63 S may be the efficient, electrified future. But the Vuk EVOlution X is the car enthusiasts will remember.

Source: Vuk Mnufaktur