The SL is one of a handful of AMG models still offering a V8 – but the selection could soon growPerformance division hedges bets on ICE tech, but an “emotional” all-electric AMG is on its way
Mercedes-AMG expects to make internal combustion-engined cars for as long as legislation allows and is putting no fixed date on their demise.
A softening of demand for electric cars across Europe, coupled with apparent hesitancy from legislators in some markets on an outright ICE car ban, has resulted in many car makers rowing back on plans to commit fully to making only electric cars by a certain date.
Mercedes itself has pledged to invest more money into continuing to develop ICE technology, which opens the door for the AMG’s famed V8s to continue.
Speaking at the reveal of the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+ at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands, AMG boss Michael Schiebe would not put an end date on internal combustion engines being phased out from AMG models.
However, for now Schiebe does still see the brand’s future as ultimately one of an electric-only car maker if current legislation to ban new ICE car sales is carried through.
“We have no end date, but that would also be a very dogmatic discussion,” said Schiebe. “Our main purpose is to satisfy customer needs. We still see there are many customers that love our V8 engines and our high-performance four-cylinder engines.
“We don’t put an end date on it, but I’m pretty convinced that AMG will become an all-electric company.”
Schiebe confirmed that work on AMG’s bespoke architecture for electric cars, called AMG.EA, was continuing and he was driving prototypes on a weekly basis.
“It’s incredible how emotional it will be,” he said. “We will see an all-electric AMG car sooner rather than later, and then we will see how many customers jump on this technology.
“We will have pure ICE, the combination [hybrids] and then all-electric, but at the moment there’s legislation in Europe at least to end the combustion engine in 2035. If this is the case, we will deliver high-performance all-electric cars. I don’t want to put a specific date or strategic direction because we are fully flexible here.”
AMG’s four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain has received a lukewarm reception in the Mercedes-AMG C63, and Schiebe admitted that “for some customers, they take time to really be excited for the technology”.
But he added that the firm had also gained new customers with it. “At AMG we are a technology brand, and we don’t want to say it’s only the V8 and we’ll do that forever,” he said.
“It’s important to be open-minded when it comes to technology.”
When asked what powertrain AMG would be putting in the upcoming Mercedes-AMG CLE 63, Schiebe would only say the firm “took the right decision and you will be excited once we hit the market”.
