The prototype has all but shed its camouflage — and it's now clear what Mercedes-AMG is cooking up. The most powerful version of the electric GLA has surfaced in new testing, and everything about it screams serious performance. Official numbers haven't been released yet, so 680 hp and a triple-motor layout can't be confirmed. But the scenario looks too logical to be coincidence: Mercedes-AMG already uses exactly this kind of powertrain in the electric CLA 45.
The CLA 45 runs one axial-flux motor up front and two more at the rear. Combined output reaches 500 kW, or 680 hp, with 1,759 Nm of torque. The sedan sprints to 62 mph in 3.0 seconds without rollout deducted. Whether the GLA inherits the same hardware wholesale remains an open question, but if it does, the taller, heavier crossover likely won't trail far behind. For now, this is a forecast based on a related model, not a finished spec sheet.
The battery is its own mystery. The regular GLA 250+ and GLA 350 4MATIC make do with an 85 kWh pack, while the AMG CLA 45 got a bigger 94 kWh unit. Giving the GLA AMG the same battery seems like the obvious move, but Mercedes hasn't confirmed it. The production electric GLA already tops out at 657 km WLTP range, and 320 kW fast charging adds up to 270 km in just ten minutes.
Spy photos already reveal some of the AMG's design cues. Up front, expect a more aggressive bumper and AMG's own take on Mercedes' new illuminated grille; at the rear, a spoiler and signature star-pattern taillights are visible. Inside, don't expect surprises: the new GLA's architecture carries over — digital instrument cluster, central touchscreen, and a passenger display that stays optional.
The standard GLA, meanwhile, is already on sale. In Germany, the electric lineup starts at €48,599.60 for the GLA 200 electric, while the current range-topping GLA 350 4MATIC starts at €58,107.70 for 260 kW (354 hp) and a 5.4-second sprint to 62 mph. The AMG version should cost considerably more, though pricing hasn't been announced.
If Mercedes really does transplant the full CLA 45 hardware into the GLA, the gap will be enormous: power would nearly double versus today's GLA 350 4MATIC, and acceleration would edge toward territory occupied by far pricier performance cars. But until the reveal, these numbers are better treated as expectations than a finished technical passport.
Mercedes-Benz recently held the world premiere of the long-wheelbase GLE L at the Chengdu auto show. The brand's first major SUV built locally in China got a 3,115 mm wheelbase — 120 mm longer than the standard GLE.
