Axel Automotive Brief — AMG fakes a V8 in 1,153HP electric GT, Volvo's next cheap EV in development, and Stellantis brings Dongfeng to France

The most-engineering-honest electric performance car of the year so far: per CarScoops, the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe is built on the bespoke AMG.EA architecture, three electric motors combining for 1,153 horsepower and up to 1,475 lb-ft of torque. The notable design choice: a soundtrack engineered to mimic the V8 burble of the original AMG GT R — including fake shifts. AMG is plowing ahead with electrification at a moment when most legacy performance brands are walking it back. The cultural read worth absorbing: faking the V8 sound is an admission that even the people who buy these cars miss the soundtrack more than the powertrain. The structural question is whether that emotional bridge keeps customers in the segment long enough for EV performance to feel native. The Volvo EV stayed dead, sort of: per CarScoops, Volvo America boss Luis Rezende confirmed a replacement for the EX30 is already in development — arriving in North America next year at a "very similar" price point to