Mercedes-AMG V8 could have a decade left to live – report
"There will be a future" for the performance brand's 4.0-litre V8, according to Mercedes-AMG CEO Philipp Schiemer.
The current Mercedes-AMG V8 engine could be available in new cars until at least 2031, despite a rapid industry-wide shift to electric vehicles.
The 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 is currently offered in all Mercedes-AMG models, bar the A45 hot hatch and next-generation C63 sedan, and in a range of top-end Mercedes-Benz and ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Maybach vehicles.
In the range-topping GT63 S sedan, the V8 produces a maximum output of 470kW/900Nm.
Speaking to US magazine Road & Track earlier this week, CEO Philipp Schiemer said: "I think there will be a future [for that engine], yes … I think for the next 10 years we will see the V8s, for sure.
“We have a lot of customers who love their cars and I still think that we will see those people buying the cars for a long time … We have really a very high demand all over the world.”
The broader Mercedes-Benz brand (including AMG) has promised to “go all-electric by the end of the decade, where market conditions allow.” Despite an overlap with this timeline, a hybrid variant of the V8 has not been ruled out.
Mercedes-AMG's first hybrid vehicles – the One hypercar and GT63 S E Performance liftback – are set to reach the first European customers within months, while an AMG 53 variant of the all-electric EQS is promised in Australia in the first half of 2022.