Mercedes-Benz has redesigned versions of its C-Class and E-Class bread-and-butter models on its hands, but a V-8 is nowhere in sight, including for the high-performance variants from AMG.
Citing anonymous sources, Car and Driver reported last week that Mercedes is now reconsidering its decision to drop the engine and may reintroduce it in the C-Class and E-Class around 2026.
The latest AMG C 63 runs a complex and heavy plug-in hybrid system using a turbo-4 as its internal-combustion component. The world is still waiting on a redesigned AMG E 63, but Car and Driver reported that the car will come with a plug-in hybrid setup built around a turbocharged inline-6.
But with BMW readying a new generation of the M5 with a V-8 in plug-in hybrid configuration, and Audi's RS 6 and RS 7 continuing to offer V-8 power, Mercedes will miss out on sales to buyers still keen on a V-8.
Mercedes has an easy fix for the dilemma. It has launched a new V-8 plug-in hybrid powertrain in its high-end S-Class and GT 4-Door Coupe lines and Car and Driver reported that a similar setup may be introduced into the AMG versions of the C-Class and E-Class with minor modifications. Though it wasn't mentioned, the mechanically similar GLC-Class and a future GLE-Class may also be included.
Such a move might mean Mercedes will have a V-8 on offer in its more attainable model lines until the end of the decade, and possibly beyond.
