The Mercedes-AMG GT XX is a design statement, performance benchmark, and tech preview all in one. Unveiled as a fully electric four-door super sedan with 1,360 horsepower and a top speed of 223 mph, the GT XX grabs attention. But one of its most surprising features isn’t its drivetrain. It’s the wheels.
At first glance, the GT XX’s 21-inch forged wheels look clean and aggressive. But look closer and you’ll notice something new: five thin aeroblades mounted between the spokes. These blades move.
Using a self-powered actuator inside the wheel hub, the blades can open and close based on driving conditions. When the car is braking hard and the brakes start to heat up, the blades open to direct more airflow toward the rotors. When the car is cruising or pushing for top speed, the blades close to reduce aerodynamic drag. What makes the system even more wild? There are no wires. The wheels communicate with the car’s control unit via Bluetooth. Each wheel is independently powered by a miniature generator inside the hub, eliminating the need for any hard connections.
The concept of active aerodynamics isn’t new, but building it into the wheels themselves is. And Mercedes-AMG may be the first to do it in a way that’s production-ready. By dynamically adjusting drag and brake cooling in real time, they support performance in two critical areas: thermal control and aerodynamic efficiency. Mercedes claims the GT XX achieves a drag coefficient of just 0.198, partially thanks to these wheels.
According to AMG CEO Michael Schiebe, the chances of the wheels making it into a future production model are “not low.” That’s vague, but promising. For now, they’re exclusive to the GT XX concept. But given AMG’s track record with pushing engineering boundaries, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them on a limited-run electric hypercar or even a high-performance trim of a future GT EV.
Wheels are often treated as styling decisions or fitment flexes. But the AMG GT XX flips that logic. These wheels are performance components, deeply integrated with the car’s aerodynamics and cooling system. They’re wirelessly connected, dynamically adaptive, and unmistakably forward-looking. If Mercedes-AMG brings these to production, they won’t just be first, they’ll be setting the blueprint for the next generation of wheel tech.