Mercedes-AMG Admits It Made A Mistake
The tides, they're a-turning. Mercedes-AMG is learning that horsepower figures and hybrid technology can only go so far when customers want something that feels unmistakably like an AMG vehicle.
After replacing the V8-powered C63 with a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid — and other V8s with six cylinders — the automaker is acknowledging that it underestimated just how much buyers value traditional muscle.
Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius conceded that the company failed to win over the V8-loving crowd with its downsizing strategy. While the current C63 E Performance delivers impressive performance on paper with its combined 671 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque, its unconventional powertrain — and sub-optimal characteristics — has struggled to capture the enthusiasm generated by its eight-cylinder predecessors.
AMG boss Stefan Weckbach says the company is responding to that feedback.
According to Road & Track, the upcoming CLE63 will bring a V8 back to the lineup, with its debut expected in 2027. The move signals a shift toward giving enthusiasts more of what originally made AMG special, rather than relying exclusively on electrification and increasingly complicated powertrains.
Mercedes also appears to be reconsidering how it preserves the character of other iconic models like the G-Class. Executives say future generations must retain the qualities that made their predecessors successful, like the honkin' V8 that burbles with every inch the big brute travels.
And what about the V12? Källenius offered a tantalizing suggestion that more could be coming, though he stopped short of confirming anything.
Automakers going back on their plans isn't exactly novel these days. Countless brands made sweeping statements about plans to go all or mostly EV, only to backtrack and lean on older technology that doesn't need to win over the market to be a success. Mercedes, as is the case with many others, learned this the hard way, and now the V8 is coming back. No surprise there.
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Based in Connecticut, Ross hosts The Hooniverse Podcast. He has been in the off-road world since he was a kid riding in the back of his dad’s YJ Wrangler. He works in marketing by day and in his free time contributes to Hooniverse, AutoGuide, and ATV.com, and in the past has contributed to UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Everyday Driver. Ross drives a 2018 Lexus GX460 that is an ongoing build project featured on multiple websites and the podcast.
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If I had the money to buy and AMG I sure as hell wouldn't want some overly stressed turbo 4 banger.