Mercedes-AMG plans to produce internal combustion engine cars as long as regulations permit, without setting a definitive end date.
The demand for electric cars in Europe is not as strong as anticipated, and some legislators are hesitant to enforce a complete ban on ICE cars. This has led many automakers to reconsider their plans to transition entirely to electric vehicles by a specific date.
Mercedes has committed to further investing in ICE technology, allowing AMG’s renowned V8 engines to remain in production.
At the unveiling of the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+ at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands, AMG boss Michael Schiebe refrained from setting a deadline for phasing out ICE engines in AMG models.
However, Schiebe envisions an electric-only future for the brand if the current legislation to ban new ICE car sales proceeds.
“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 development on AMG’s custom architecture for electric cars, called AMG.EA, is ongoing, and he is testing prototypes weekly.
“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 embrace this technology.
“We will have pure ICE, hybrids, and then all-electric models. For now, European legislation aims to end the combustion engine by 2035. If this happens, we will provide high-performance all-electric cars. I don’t want to set a specific date or strategic direction because we are fully flexible here.”
We know that the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain in the Mercedes-AMG C63 has received mixed reactions, with some customers needing time to warm up to the technology.
Regarding the powertrain for the upcoming Mercedes-AMG CLE 63, Schiebe remained tight-lipped but assured that they “took the right decision and you will be excited once we hit the market.”
We can only assume that customer demand has pushed them to change plans from the aforementioned four-pot hybrid to the growling V8 we all absolutely love.
Source: Autocar