Mercedes-AMG C63 coupe successor to keep V8, skip four-cylinder hybrid – report
The upcoming AMG CLE63 will not adopt four-cylinder hybrid power – and will keep its predecessor's V8 – according to a new report. But what does it mean for the four-cylinder C63 sedan?
The successor to the Mercedes-AMG C63 coupe and convertible is planned to use V8 power – rather than the controversial four-cylinder plug-in hybrid technology of the C63 sedan – according to a new report.
It is unclear if this is indicative of a broader switch away from four-cylinder hybrid power – and back to twin-turbo V8 propulsion – for the C63 and GLC63 amid reports of slow sales and poor reception from existing customers.
A report out of the US last year claiming the C63 could return to V8 power – and the next E63 would not adopt a four-cylinder hybrid – by 2026 was quickly refuted as “pure nonsense” by other international media outlets and top AMG executives.
Now the UK’s Autocar claims Mercedes-AMG will fit the CLE63 – the indirect replacement for the C63 coupe and convertible, along with the E-Class two-door range that never featured a full-scale AMG product – with the familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 developing as much as 430kW, aided by mild-hybrid technology.
It claims this is a reversal of plans to fit the C63 sedan’s 500kW plug-in hybrid system combining a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with an electric motor.
Autocar attributes the alleged backflip to slow sales of the new C63 – as well as its GLC63 SUV sibling, with the same engine – which are “well below those of their V8 predecessors”.
Drive Marketplace: Cars for Sale
Also said to play a role is concern from Mercedes-Benz dealers that offering the CLE63 flagship with a four-cylinder – above the CLE53 with a less powerful but larger six-cylinder engine – could confuse customers.
Interestingly, the latest CLE63 prototypes spotted testing in Europe lack the charging port on the rear bumper – used to top up the plug-in hybrid battery – of earlier test vehicles.
While there are technical similarities between the C-Class and CLE – they share a wheelbase, and have near-identical wheel track widths – there is no guarantee fitting a V8 to the CLE63 would influence the C63 sedan.
The initial report claiming the petrol V8 would return to the C63 – and that the next E63 would not drop its V8 – published by Car and Driver in August 2023 was "definitively" denied by Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Schieb.
“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 US website The Drive.
“So I think we were right when we said, let’s go in that direction.”
Days after the initial Car and Driver report, reputable German publication Auto Motor und Sport dismissed it as "pure nonsense," and that it "asked around at AMG and [was] met with general head-shaking".
Markus Schäfer, head of Mercedes-Benz’s research and development operations, reportedly told Autocar last month it will be "up to customers to decide" whether AMG continues with the four-cylinder hybrid technology.
"We will stay close to the feedback of people and customers, and then we will go from that," he said.
"We decided for the C-Class to go with the four-cylinder and a strong electrical side. We decided for the GT [sports coupe] and the S-Class to go with the eight [-cylinder] with the same electric side. We have to see what the customer ultimately decides."
The executive admitted that customers in China initially "didn't understand" the concept of the new four-cylinder hybrid C63.
"But we explained the concept, the rationale and where it came from, especially with reference to F1, and they started to understand what the idea behind it was."
The new four-cylinder C63 arrived in Australia earlier this year – as did the regular version of the new E-Class sedan, which was unveiled in Europe in April 2023 – but the E63 is yet to be unveiled, or even be spied testing.
There has been speculation there will not be a new E63 – and that its role will be filled by the E53, which uses a 450kW six-cylinder plug-in hybrid system – but Mercedes-AMG has not confirmed its plans.
Flagship AMG models typically follow their regular siblings by 18 months to two years – after about two years of on-road testing.
If a new E63 is in the works, it must be due later in the new E-Class sedan's life cycle – and could be three years from Australian showrooms.
2024 Volkswagen Touareg R review: Australian first drive
