Mercedes-AMG set for massive 12-month revamp: more character, more noise, more V8s
Mercedes’ performance plans are laid bare as it works to make its cars more evocative
Mercedes-AMG seems to have its mojo back and is looking to prove it by revamping its entire line-up in as little as 12 months. The focus is on what the performance division is best known for: mighty V8 engines, loud evocative soundtracks, bold designs and cars brimming with character.
In the past few years, AMG has been going through something of an identity crisis and a controversial love affair with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. Its latest creations have, undeniably, been very technically capable – and very fast – but they’ve lacked some of the drama, charm and other characteristics of its earlier cars that made them so beloved.
That’s about to change however. “AMG must become more AMG than ever before,” the division’s CEO Michael Schiebe told Auto Express. “That doesn’t only mean performance, but also emotion and design.”
The new GLC 53 is the first opportunity for us to see how AMG has learned from the vast amount of feedback it’s received from critics and customers alike.
The four-cylinder engine from the old GLC 43 and 63 SE E Performance is gone, replaced by a brand-new 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine. This pumps out a hearty 442bhp, but is also more free-revving, Schiebe promises, and delivers a “much more emotional sound”, helped by a new exhaust system designed to amp up the noise.
Schiebe added that the new GLC 53 has been set up to provide a greater spread between the Comfort setting and the more focused Sport+ mode, “because we wanted to put a little bit more emphasis on bringing back the emotions of AMG.”
The same straight-six engine will be making its way into the C 63 sports saloon as well later this year, replacing the divisive plug-in hybrid four-cylinder powertrain in AMG’s answer to the BMW M3 and Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Keeping the V8 alive
The V8 engine is also very much a part of AMG’s future, confirmed Schiebe, who owned a W204 C 63 with the brand’s famous 6.2-litre V8. In fact, the company has developed a new V8 that meets Europe’s latest emissions regulations and is being added to the line-up later this year.
It hasn’t been confirmed which model will be the first to be fitted with the new twin-turbo flat-plane-crank V8. But we know the engine is going to make its way into SUVs, such as the facelifted Mercedes GLS, plus the hotly anticipated CLE 63 coupe, a new E 63 super-saloon to rival the BMW M5 and, we suspect, a new S 63 limousine, too.
We assume this engine is also what lies under the very long bonnet of the new AMG GT Black Series, which is a true motorsport homologation special with a different chassis and powertrain to the current road-going AMG GT. Plus a gigantic rear wing.
A flat-plane crankshaft can sometimes give an engine a less characterful noise than the cross-plane style AMG has traditionally used. However, Mercedes’ engineers have addressed this with a specially designed camshaft that should give the new V8 the kind of muscular soundtrack AMG’s customers expect.
Meanwhile, the AMG GT and SL are both about to receive mid-lift facelifts that are likely to be accompanied by a shake-up of their engine line-up. The V8 will be sticking around, of course, but the entry-level four-pot will probably go and Schiebe admitted that a decision has yet to be made about whether plug-in hybrid power remains available in the pair.
Regardless, plug-in hybrids – or long-range hybrids as Schiebe calls them – will still have a place in the AMG range, the CEO tells us. “The GLE 53 and E53 [PHEVs] will definitely continue, because we see it’s a very good compromise for people that live in areas where there are certain restrictions in terms of CO2 emissions.”
“We see that, with the next generation of our V8, we will even have more power coming from the engine. If you ask me, I see now with the new EVs coming up, you can actually differentiate them even more.
“So there will be customers that want to still have the combustion feeling, drive the combustion engine, and you can give them a really puristic V8 experience. And for those who want to have, let's say, all the EV capabilities in terms of acceleration, also the possibility to drive a car in complete quietness, they can go all electric, yeah? And then for the ones in between, we still have the long-range hybrids.”
AMG is doubling down on electric cars
But while AMG is going big on loud-mouthed combustion-powered cars, it’s also working on a new breed of EVs that Schiebe is confident will live up to its customers’ expectations of design, performance and, most importantly, emotion.
Leading the charge will be the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe - the production version of the show-stopping GT XX concept we saw last year. It’ll have well over 1,000bhp, of course, but setting it apart from all the other fast EVs will be a synthesised yet authentic-sounding V8 roar.
Mercedes’ now-former chief technology officer Markus Schäfer told Auto Express last year that driving the Porsche Taycan rival will be “an emotional experience. It has to be authentic when it comes to power, drivability and track performance. But the AMG is also an emotional experience from an acoustic standpoint, from noise, vibration and hardness. And that's exactly what you can expect in this car as well.”
The GT 4-door Coupe will be a bespoke AMG creation, using a brand-new architecture called AMG.EA. However, the performance division is also launching a hot version of the highly efficient Mercedes CLA – in both saloon and shooting brake estate forms – which is almost certainly electric.
Schiebe remained tight-lipped about the new CLA 45, but we’re expecting it to get dual motors for all-wheel drive and probably around 450bhp, plus a suitably mean-looking AMG bodykit. It’s also worth noting that when the A 35 and A 45 hot hatchbacks are axed - a result of their M139 four-cylinder not meeting the latest emissions standards - the CLA car will become the entry-point to the AMG range.
Schiebe emphasised that AMG wants to give its customers a choice of powertrains, whether they be gas-guzzling or not. “This is why I'm bringing back the V8 and at the same time, we are doubling down on the electric car.”
AMG’s cars will look more aggressive and more distinctive
The design of AMG’s new cars is set to become more in your face and aggressive, too. Schiebe joked that AMG had to convince some of the board members at Mercedes about its latest designs, but said he was “100 per cent convinced that this is the right direction, because exterior design is one of the main reasons why people buy an AMG.
“They want to have a distinct and most of the time also revolutionary, bold, aggressive design,” he added, “and this is what we will deliver.”
Those cars were styled by Bastian Baudy, who was the chief designer for AMG until recently when he took on the role of head of design for Mercedes-Benz.
“All of those cars have been made by Bastian,” said Schiebe, “and I was so happy to have him with me on this journey, because we always found ourselves on a Saturday morning in Affalterbach in our little design studio and we were smiling because we were allowed to do crazy things.”
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