by Mercedes-AMG decided not just to show numbers on a stand, but to tell a story of endurance. As part of an advertising campaign, the Mercedes-AMG GT XX electric sedan completed a test marathon at the Nardo circular test track in Italy, covering a total distance equal to the Earth’s circumference—40,075 km. Not because the track is that long, but because that’s how much it “clocked” over a series of runs.
The GT XX, with its three-motor setup producing 1360 hp, was in motion for 7 days, 13 hours, and 24 minutes, making scheduled pauses for recharging. The average speed was impressive—220 km/h, including all stops. In other words, it ran a marathon at a sprinter’s pace.
To maintain such a pace, engineers utilized two technologies from their arsenal that haven’t yet become “mainstream” due to cost and complexity. Firstly, ultra-fast charging with a capacity of 850 kW, minimizing downtime at the charging point. Secondly, direct cooling of the batteries, which prevents the battery from overheating under high load and maintains stable output. These are not series production solutions today, but they are precisely what allowed for a demonstration at the limit of what’s possible.
Next year, the Mercedes-AMG GT XX will hit the market and become the new flagship of the AMG lineup. Whether all these “space-age” features will make it to the production car remains an open question, but the main point is already clear: the era of electric sedans capable of driving long, fast, and convincingly has arrived. And this Mercedes isn’t just “about the numbers”—it’s about a pace that competitors will have to learn to match.
