The internet well and truly bashed Mercedes-AMG for swapping out the C63’s snarling V-8 for a hybrid four-cylinder. So much bashing was done that AMG has hinted at replacing the four-cylinder in the near future.
With that in mind, Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Shiebe recently sat down with MotorTrend to reflect on AMG’s direction. The interview produced an interesting snippet about the brand’s most controversial AMG product to date.
Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1
Regarding the car, Shiebe said, “We probably could have better explained the technology to our customers. There are pure V-8 fans, and it’s hard to convince them of this four-cylinder hybrid technology.”
The statement keeps with the tone of Mercedes-AMG’s previous communications on the product: It’s the consumers who don’t understand the product, not a fundamental problem with the product itself. That line of reasoning has held firm, even as AMG was forced to sell the C63 at crazy-steep discounts in order to move inventory.
Shiebe noted later in the same interview that Mercedes-AMG also plans to build more visually distinctive cars to help separate AMG from Mercedes’s mainline products. But that’s never been the C63’s problem; it’s a gorgeous little car with excellent proportions, one that balances stealthy and sinister to perfection. Like all great AMG’s, the C63 looks gorgeous in black.
Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1
Indeed, we’ve driven and talked about the new four-cylinder C63 plenty—both on video and in a controversial column. In response to consumers’ general outrage, Mercedes told us that falling in love with the new four-cylinder C63 would simply take time, even after admitting it lost customers over the switch away from V-8 power.
It’s unlikely that we’ll drive a new V-8-powered C63 again, but here’s hoping that the brand either nails its messaging strategy with the next car or listens to their customers; they tend to vote with their wallets.
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