AMG Is About To Make Small EVs Hotter Than Ever

AMG CLA EQ Starts Showing Off

The Autoblog spy photographers have caught the high-performance version of the new Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan, and according to them, the smallest hot EV to come out of Affalterbach will be called the AMG CLA EQ. That’s a far less awkward name than G 580 with EQ Technology, but most won’t care as much about the name as they do about what it represents. And according to our sources, this hot subcompact will be a high-performance feast of technology. With these images showing a nearly-ready prototype with production bodywork, though, we have to address what we can see before discussing that which we can’t.

CLA Becomes A Baby AMG GT 4-Door

As was the case with the regular electric CLA, the AMG version will closely resemble its combustion-powered sibling. Obvious exceptions in the CLA EQ’s styling are evident in that the front bumper has only a lower intake grille, and the area where the Three-pointed Star will sit is a blank plate, while the rear diffuser trim has no cutouts for the traditional quartet of exhaust tips typically used to indicate AMG power. Nevertheless, the front end will look aggressive, with large lower side intakes in an AMG-specific bumper, while the fenders will each gain a piece of trim that will doubtless be badged. From the front three-quarter angle, this looks like a downsized AMG GT 4-Door, rather than just a hotted-up CLA, so well done to the designers.

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Although mismatched, the wheels are also clearly from the AMG warehouse, though it’s possible that new designs will be offered when this EQ arrives. At the rear, a deployable adaptive spoiler (that our spies say the driver deactivated using a button, indicating a possible manual override feature) will give all who follow no doubt as to the performance credentials of this pocket rocket. We’re calling it now – this will be one of the best-looking performance EVs on the market.

Not Your Average Performance EV

This vehicle was being unloaded at AMG’s testing center at the Nürburgring, which means that it’ll be taking to the track soon, if it hasn’t already by the time this article reaches your eyes. However, the lack of perforations on the brake discs of this test mule suggests that this may be the warm AMG, not the hot one. A CLA EQ 35, if you will. For the cream of the crop, our spies say to expect a pair of electric motors – one per axle – to produce a combined 550 horsepower. Interestingly, the front motor is said to remain idle in most operating conditions to maximize range (which Mercedes reportedly expects to be around 700 kilometers, or 434 miles), but the hooligan in your head is likely already wondering how to use that system to perform ludicrous drifts. With this prototype very close to the finished product, we expect Mercedes to unleash the AMG CLA EQ before the end of the year, so it won’t be a long wait.