Mercedes-AMG boss rules out V8 return for C63

Less than a month after overseas reports claimed Mercedes-AMG was considering a U-turn on its plans to ditch V8-power for its C63 super sedan, the German performance-car company’s boss has denied an eight-cylinder engine will return to this model.

Earlier this month, US magazine Car and Driver reported Mercedes-AMG was “considering” a return to twin-turbo V8 engines in the C63 and E63 – despite recently switching the C63 to four-cylinder hybrid power, and uncertainty over the future of the E63.

However, speaking with rival US publication The Drive at Monterey Car Week in California, Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Schiebe said he can "definitively deny" the rumours – claiming the decision to electrify the brand’s performance line-up is the right decision.

“I don’t like to talk about other manufacturers, but it seems like there are many more performance hybrids coming to the market now. Or at least they’ve been announced,” Mr Schiebe told The Drive. 

“So I think we were right when we said, let’s go in that direction.”

The new-generation Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine – producing up to 350kW and 545Nm – and a 150kW/475Nm electric motor, bringing its total outputs to 500kW/1020Nm.

The controversial decision to power the flagship Mercedes-Benz C-Class with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with hybrid technology has reportedly led to the German car-maker receiving minimal orders overseas. 

Mercedes-Benz is yet to reveal plans for a new-generation E63 AMG, though overseas publications have reported it may not be renewed, and instead the lower-performance E53 would become the flagship AMG model, with six-cylinder plug-in hybrid power.

The car-maker’s decision to axe V8 power in the E-Class is a contrast to its German rival BMW, which is expected to launch the all-new M5 with a twin-turbo V8 engine and plug-in hybrid technology.