The Mercedes-AMG C63 Could Ditch Its V-8 For a Hybrid Four-Cylinder and All-Wheel Drive

The defining feature of the Mercedes-AMG C63 is its V-8 driving the rear wheels. The first one had a monster 6.2-liter naturally aspirated unit that made 510 hp in the end-of-the-line Black Series; its successor, the current C63, has a corker of a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. The next one could have a hybrid four-cylinder and all-wheel drive.

Autocar magazine reports that AMG will ditch the twin-turbo V-8 in the next C63, replacing it with the new 416-hp 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder used in the A45 and CLA45. Autocar says Mercedes will use a mild hybrid system to get that drivetrain to match the 503 hp of today’s C63. Mercedes currently uses a similar hybrid system in its 450-series Benzes and 53-series AMGs, pairing a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six with an electric starter-generator that provides up to 22 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque.

Moving the C63 to all-wheel drive would follow the recent trend at AMG, where only a few models remain rear-drive. The current E63 has a variable all-wheel drive system with a selectable “Drift Mode” that locks the car in rear-wheel drive; we suspect the new C63 will offer the same feature.

When asked whether the next-generation C63 will move to a four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain, a Mercedes spokesperson told Road & Track, “we cannot comment on future product speculation.”

Apparently, the move to build a C63 without a V-8 raised controversy within AMG. Lawrence Allan, news editor for Autocar, tweeted that Mercedes-AMG boss Tobais Moers “walked out of the boardroom when this was decided.”

When the C63 first arrived back in 2007, its two primary rivals, the Audi RS4 and BMW M3, both had V-8 power. Now, the AMG is the only V-8 in its segment. The M3 moved to a twin-turbo inline-six, while the RS4, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, and Cadillac ATS-V use twin-turbo V-6s.

Mercedes-Benz, like most automakers, is pushing hard to reduce its fleet average C02 emissions, and that means AMG’s offerings are coming under scrutiny. Autocar says that this new four-cylinder powertrain, even with all of its hybrid components, would weigh less than the current V-8, while offering the same 503 hp and even more torque.

If you’re dying to get into a V-8, rear-drive C63 before it goes extinct, fear not: Autocar suggests that the hybrid, all-wheel drive model won’t go on sale until 2022.

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