AMG’s New V8 Isn’t Just Coming Back, It’s Coming For Everything

Even as the auto industry lurches toward electrification with all the grace of a three-legged shopping cart, Mercedes-AMG is reminding everyone that the V8 still has a pulse. The German brand copped a lot of flak for turning the C63 into a four-cylinder hybrid, and raised plenty of eyebrows when it confirmed a pair of high-performance EVs for production. However, enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that the AMG V8s we all know and love aren’t going anywhere, at least for the time being.

In fact, fans of AMG’s signature V8s can breathe a little easier, at least for now. According to AMG boss Michael Schiebe, there’s still a future for combustion engines, thanks in part to regulatory breathing room. With the European Union’s combustion ban not taking effect until 2035 and no firm ICE cutoff in the U.S., there are “some years to come with the V8,” he says.

Schiebe didn’t specify how many years the current engine might hang on, but it sounds like AMG isn’t just keeping the lights on. They’re actively working on a new generation of the V8.

Read: New Flat-Plane V8 Coming To Mercedes-AMG CLE 63, But It Won’t Sound The Same

Speaking with Car and Driver, Schiebe explained that the next-gen V8 could find its way into multiple future models. That’s opened the door to speculation, some hopeful, some wildly optimistic, that the engine could even make its way back into a revised C63.

“We are in the midst of developing our next generation of the V8 and I see a lot of positions within our existing portfolio, or maybe even new ones, where we could actually imagine to have a V8,” he said.

We’ve known about the next-generation V8 from Mercedes-AMG for several months now. According to reports, it will ditch the cross-plane crankshaft of the current V8 family in favor of a flat-plane crank. The company is also developing the engine to work with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that could incorporate a starter motor into the gearbox, while also adding some extra power and better efficiency.

Schiebe reinforced the idea that AMG won’t go all-in on hybridization with this engine. In his words, they don’t “necessarily need to go that far on hybridization,” suggesting this new V8 will stay closer to its roots than some feared.

That strategy could also extend the life of models like the AMG GT 4-Door, which many assumed would quietly exit stage left as AMG’s all-electric performance sedan comes to market. But according to Schiebe, that might not be the case, at least not yet.

“Let’s see how long we continue with a GT 4-Door,” he said. “Maybe there is a successor, but I don’t want to speculate about that.”

So while AMG’s future is undoubtedly electric, the V8 isn’t on the chopping block just yet. If anything, it looks like the automaker is doubling down on its combustion credentials, if only for a little while longer.

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