The Mercedes-AMG ONE, Exclusive Small-Series Production Commences

Job one out of a catalogue of jobs has now begun for the exclusive production of the hypercar with Formula One technology, the Mercedes AMG ONE.

Its F1 based hybrid powertrain with a 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine and four electric motors is being built by the motorsport experts at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.

Located in Brixworth, England, these experts are also responsible for developing and producing the Power Units for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 racing cars. 

Meanwhile, production of the complete vehicle will be executed in Coventry, UK. Where AMG and business partner Multimatic have set up a dedicated small series production facility.

Only 275 units will be built in total, and the first customer unit of the Mercedes AMG ONE hypercar will be delivered in the second half of 2022.

Mercedes AMG GmbH’s chairman of the management board, Philipp Schiemer, expressed, "The Mercedes AMG ONE is the most ambitious project we have ever undertaken from development to production. It marks another high point in Mercedes AMG's successful strategic development towards an electrified Future of Driving Performance. The production of the exclusive small series is a truly unique challenge. For the first time, the hypercar brings current F1 hybrid technology almost one-to-one from the race track to the road and combines overwhelming performance with exemplary efficiency. This world first is now becoming a reality thanks to the great teamwork between Mercedes AMG in Affalterbach, the F1 experts at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth and our production partner Multimatic. We as a whole team are very proud to have now started production of the first customer vehicles."

To begin with, the exclusive small-series production of the Mercedes-AMG ONE is completed by hand at a total of 16 assembly and testing stations. 

Many of its work steps consist of subsystems that require to be first pre-assembled and tested for function, then disassembled again and only then finally installed in the vehicle. 

This applies, for example, to the carbon-fibre monocoque with a bonded-in roof as well as all detachable body parts, which are also made of said light, stable and costly material. 

The entire outer skin is the first to be completely assembled, where after, all the fits are precisely checked and adjusted for size. This is the only way to create a perfectly even joint pattern. 

In the process, the specialists have to also take into account the final lacquering, which adds its own material thickness. 

Notably, given that the wall thickness of the carbon is only 1.2 mm in certain locations, this is a highly difficult and specialised task. 

Once everything fits perfectly, parts including doors and bonnets are dismantled again and hand-painted as a car set for each individual unit. Assuring the perfect colour match of the entire vehicle.

Following that, the next step in the assembly of the AMG ONE hypercar is the powertrain and the body-in-white.

Prior to this step, the 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine, the high-voltage battery and the four electric motors have all been hot tested on testbenches at Brixworth.

Specifically, this is to ensure that they are healthy and performant, which is done in the exact same process as with Mercedes’ F1 Power Units.

Namely, the eTurbo hybrid combustion engine, the high-voltage battery of the plug-in hybrid, the front axle with two electric motors, and the power electronics including the inverter for each of the four electric motors, are all supplied by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.

For this area of the workflow, 75% of the parts are already assembled before the high-voltage components are installed.

At the end of it all, the final stage of production is marked by a roll-out at a nearby proving ground, where each AMG ONE undergoes final acceptance testing by a factory test driver. 

As soon as their approval is given, the vehicle is provided with appropriate transport protection and transported in a closed truck to the Mercedes AMG headquarters in Affalterbach. 

Said location is where both the technical vehicle briefing by the Mercedes-AMG ONE experts and the handover of the vehicle takes place.

The Production Steps In 16 Main Stations

Station 1 to 4: Assembly of the mechanical parts and all low-voltage components as well as installation of essential powertrain components including vehicle electrics.

Station 5 to 6: Assembly of high-voltage battery and high-voltage connections, test runs of combustion engine and electric motors, and commissioning of the vehicle.

Station 7: Interior Installation.

Station 8: Start of exterior body panel installation, doors and quarter panels. The pre-finished body panels such as the front clam, rear clam, quarter panels and doors, meet the main assembly line from the sub-assembly area of the facility.

Station 9: Continue exterior installation. Front and rear clam.

Station 10: Final installation of exterior body.

Station 11: Assembly of wheels and floor panels.

Station 12: Adjustment of wheels and headlamps.

Station 13: Roller dynamometer for testing the vehicle in all driving modes.

Station 14: Four-post NVH test (noise, vibration, harshness), fine-tuning if necessary.

Station 15: Monsoon rain test.

Station 16: Light booth with visual inspection of all surfaces and technical function tests of all components.

That said, over 50 specialists work on each individual Mercedes AMG ONE. After each station, there are in-depth quality checks based on defined characteristics, resulting in extensive documentation of the production process.