Mercedes-AMG CEO Puts The Final Nail In The Coffin On V8 C63 Rumors

We can now definitively say the V8 will not return to theMercedes-AMG C63and E63 models, as the rumors of such an endeavor have been unequivocally shot down by Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Schiebe. Speaking toThe Drivethis past week at thebest car show in the world, Monterey Car Week, Schiebe didn't mince words about therumors that have swirledsince the start of the month. All he had to say was that he could "definitively deny" that a V8 would return to the performance models in the future.

这意味着C63will continue into the foreseeable with its PHEV four-cylinder engine setup, and the E63 should do the same with its yet-to-be-announced inline-six PHEV setup. "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," he said. "So I think we were right when we said, let's go in that direction."

This is sad news for anyone still holding out a glimmer of hope that the company would move back to a V8 setup, but that's unfortunately the direction progress is heading in; electrification is the future whether we like it or not, and this doesn't necessitate eight cylinders. As sad as this is to hear, these new powertrains bring some pretty incredible benefits to the table (on paper, at least), and Mercedes thinks they'reworth the risk.

The first is power. The F1-inspired plug-in hybrid 2.0-liter turbocharged powertrain in the new C63 produces a staggering 671 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque. The previous C63 could only top out at 503 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque from its twin-turbo V8 powerplant. The downside to electrification is weight, though.

The next-generation Mercedes-AMG E63 is currently rumored to get ahybridized inline-six setupthat will produce more than the 690 hp and 884 lb-ft the current E63 gets from its V8.