Mercedes AMG GT XX
The electric car record books have been thrown in the air—again. In a blistering 24-hour run at the Nardò test track in Italy, the Mercedes AMG GT XX concept covered 5,479 kilometres (3,405 miles), smashing the standing mark and re-setting expectations for what an EV can do when you combine extreme efficiency, colossal charging power and laser-guided race-team logistics. Independent reports say the previous best—set barely days ago by the refreshed XPeng P7—was left more than 1,500km behind.(InsideEVs, Paul Tan's Automotive News)
And because one record wasn’t enough, AMG then rolled straight into a marathon: 40,075km in 7 days, 13 hours, 24 minutes and 7 seconds—roughly the Earth’s circumference. It’s a headline-grabber designed to prove durability as much as outright pace.(MarketScreener, Paul Tan's Automotive News)
What exactly did the Mercedes AMG GT XX achieve?
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24-hour distance: 5,479km at Nardò, eclipsing XPeng P7’s fresh 3,961km mark. Reports note the AMG averaged ferocious speeds when not charging, with rapid-charge stops threaded through the run.(InsideEVs, The Driven, autocar.co.uk)
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Endurance feat: ~40,075km in just over eight days—shorthand for “around the world in eight days.”(MarketScreener)
To put that first number into context, the Mercedes CLA prototype set a hugely impressive 3,717km 24-hour benchmark in late 2024, itself beating the Porsche Taycan’s 2019 performance by 292km on the same oval. AMG’s new concept didn’t just edge those—it obliterated them.(wardsauto.com)
How did AMG do it?
The Mercedes AMG GT XX is not just a show car with a battery; it’s a rolling tech demonstrator for AMG’s first ground-up production EV due soon. Key ingredients:
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Axial-flux motors (three of them): Compact, power-dense units enabling 1,000kW+ peak output and >360km/h potential. Axial-flux designs are renowned for high continuous power—perfect for sustained high-speed running.(mercedes-amg.com, Mercedes-Benz)
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Slippery aero with active elements: The concept’s aero surfaces (including Bluetooth-controlled wings) helped keep energy use in check at extreme speeds.(InsideEVs)
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Hyper-fast charging: AMG quotes average DC charging power of >850kW at 1,000A over a wide slice of the curve—vital when every charging minute counts.(media.mbusa.com)
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Low drag: A quoted Cd of 0.198 supports astonishing cruising efficiency.(mercedes-amg.com)
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Thermal mastery: Cell-level direct cooling and a bespoke high-performance battery architecture allow high continuous outputs and repeatable fast charges without the usual heat soak.(media.mbusa.com)
The operational side matters too. Previous Mercedes record attempts (like the CLA’s 24-hour run) leaned on a “plug-and-dash” strategy—short, frequent top-ups to maximise distance per minute of stop time—backed by remote telemetry and rigid stint planning. The GT XX effort has clearly doubled down on this race-team style execution.(wardsauto.com)
The rivals it beat—and by how much
EV distance “records” come in a few flavours (more on that below). For 24-hour distance covered, here are the closest benchmarks:
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Mercedes-AMG GT XX (2025): 5,479km in 24 hours (Nardò).(InsideEVs)
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XPeng P7 (2025): 3,961km in 24 hours (Changchun).(CarNewsChina.com, The Driven)
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Mercedes CLA prototype (2024): 3,717km in 24 hours (Nardò).(wardsauto.com)
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Porsche Taycan (2019): ≈3,426km in 24 hours (Nardò)—the earlier standard the CLA surpassed by 292km.(wardsauto.com)
Below is a quick visual showing just how big the gap now is:
(Chart: 24-hour EV distance records vs closest competitors—see sources above for each figure.)
If you’d like the underlying data as a spreadsheet for your website or socials, say the word and I’ll export it.
Chart: Mercedes-AMG GT XX vs closest competitors (24-hour distance)
But what about “single-charge” distance records?
Different test, different bragging rights. The 24-hour record measures how far you can go in a day, including charging stops—it rewards fast charging, high-speed efficiency, and flawless logistics. The single-charge record measures how far you can travel on one battery charge—usually at gentler speeds, prioritising efficiency over outright pace.
Recent headline there: the Lucid Air Grand Touring set a Guinness World Records mark of 1,205km on one charge in July 2025, travelling from St Moritz to Munich. It benefitted from a net downhill route but still showcases outstanding drivetrain efficiency. Mercedes’ earlier VISION EQXX engineering concept did 1,202km from Stuttgart to Silverstone in 2022, and 1,008km to Cassis before that—also on a single charge. Different tests, same narrative: efficiency is king.(ir.lucidmotors.com, media.mbusa.com, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Group)
Why this record matters (and to whom)
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Proof that ultra-fast charging changes the game. When you can average 800–900kW across much of a charge curve, “refuelling” becomes a series of brief pit stops. That’s the only way to stack 5,400+ kilometres into a day. The tech is real in the concept—and AMG says it’s headed for series production.(media.mbusa.com, mercedes-amg.com)
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Aerodynamics and thermal engineering are the new horsepower. The GT XX’s Cd 0.198 and cell-level cooling are just as crucial as its four-figure power output when you’re sustaining autobahn-plus speeds for hours.(mercedes-amg.com)
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Benchmark for the next AMG road car. The GT XX previews AMG’s first production EV. If even a slice of this capability reaches customers—say, more consistent high-speed cruising and genuinely rapid repeat charges—it will be a serious needle-mover against Lucid, Porsche and Tesla.(Motor1.com)
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Development loop that’s already paid off. Mercedes has been building towards this: EQXX taught Stuttgart about extreme efficiency; the CLA showed how to weaponise short, frequent charges; GT XX fuses both into a sledgehammer.(Mercedes-Benz, wardsauto.com)
A few sensible caveats
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Track conditions are ideal. Nardò is a near-perfect oval with no traffic, weather swings or junctions—real-world long-distance driving is messier.
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Charging infrastructure needs to catch up. Public networks aren’t serving 850kW yet. But history suggests what’s possible on the test track today is a preview of tomorrow’s motorway service areas.(media.mbusa.com)
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Record categories differ. Don’t mix the 24-hour distance record with single-charge distance or EPA/WLTP range numbers; each answers a different question.
Bottom line
The Mercedes AMG GT XX didn’t just tip-toe past the 24-hour EV distance record—it levelled it, then kept going until it had effectively “lapped” the planet. As a rolling promise of what the first electric AMG saloon could deliver, it’s outrageously compelling: axial-flux muscle, exotic aero, a Cd number that would make a teardrop blush, and charging power that turns range anxiety into a coffee break. If Stuttgart really brings this hardware to the showroom in the next product cycle, the definition of a fast grand tourer—the kind that comfortably devours continents—might soon be rewritten in kilowatts.(InsideEVs, media.mbusa.com, mercedes-amg.com)
Sources & further reading
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InsideEVs: GT XX’s 24-hour 5,479km run and context vs XPeng. (InsideEVs)
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paultan.org: 5,479km in 24 hours; 40,075km in ~7.5 days. (Paul Tan's Automotive News)
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MarketScreener (Mercedes-Benz Group AG release): “around the world in eight days” details. (MarketScreener)
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Mercedes-AMG / Mercedes-Benz official concept pages: axial-flux motors, >1,000kW, >360km/h, Cd 0.198, and production intent. (mercedes-amg.com, Mercedes-Benz)
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WardsAuto: CLA’s 24-hour record (3,717km) and Taycan delta (292km). (wardsauto.com)
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CarNewsChina/The Driven: XPeng P7’s 3,961km endurance run. (CarNewsChina.com, The Driven)
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Lucid Air single-charge Guinness World Record (1,205km) and Mercedes VISION EQXX (1,202km; 1,008km). (ir.lucidmotors.com, The Times of India, TechRadar, caranddriver.com, media.mbusa.com)
