Upsizing
Mercedes-AMG is backtracking on the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrains it delivers in several models. In the future, it will stick to larger engines.
It has been in the air for some time, but now Autocar has learned from a ‘high-ranking insider’ that the four-cylinder will make way at Mercedes-AMG. Not immediately, but the engine will be phased out gradually, and new fuel models from Mercedes-AMG will get a six-cylinder or a V8. In the case of the six-cylinder, it is basically the six-in-line that is already being used, while the V8 would specifically be a newly developed power source with a flat crankshaft. It will probably remain reserved for Mercedes-AMG’s most violent and exclusive creations, and the six-in-line will soon provide power for most of the models.
The most obvious reason to go back to only large engines is that the four-cylinders are not as popular with the Mercedes-AMG target group. The insider indicates that Mercedes-AMG now recognizes that it is not a success in that area. A second reason is that, of all things, that relatively small engine would be difficult to adapt to the Euro 7 emission requirements. In that sense, there is also a cost-technical argument for Mercedes-AMG not to continue with it. Incidentally, electrification will continue to play an important role, also in the six- and eight-cylinders. They will soon all be (mild) hybrid or electric powertrains at Mercedes-AMG.