7 Minutes
AMG has heard the backlash. Loud and clear.
For a while, the brand’s future seemed locked into small-displacement engines, complex plug-in hybrids, and a vision of performance shaped as much by regulation as by emotion. On paper, it made sense. In the showroom, it did not always land. Buyers who grew up associating Affalterbach with thunderous V8 power were not exactly lining up to celebrate a four-cylinder future.
Now the mood has changed. Mercedes-AMG has officially confirmed that a new V8 engine will arrive before the end of this year, marking a major shift for the performance division as it leans back into the formula many enthusiasts never wanted it to abandon in the first place.
There is a catch, though. This is not a full-scale return of the old order. If you were hoping the Mercedes-AMG C63 would reclaim eight-cylinder power, that door appears firmly shut. AMG boss Michael Scheibe told Car Magazine the new V8 will first appear in SUVs, with passenger cars following later. In other words, the engine is heading into bigger, more expensive models near the top of the range, not into the compact end of the lineup.
That alone says a lot about where AMG sees demand. The era of a relatively attainable C-Class with a V8 looks finished, and likely for good. Instead, the new engine will be used where customers still expect a sense of drama, prestige, and effortless muscle.
Where the new AMG V8 is likely to show up
The first candidates are already easy to imagine. AMG has a habit of reserving its most charismatic hardware for halo products, and this new eight-cylinder looks set to follow that script. SUVs will lead the rollout late this year, but the expansion into cars should not take long after that.
One model widely tipped for the new V8 is the upcoming Mythos series special based on the CLE Coupe. Rumors point to an output of 646 horsepower, and notably, that figure is expected to come from the combustion engine itself. If that number holds, AMG is not bringing back the V8 quietly. It is bringing it back with a point to prove.
The teased GT-based Black Series also feels like a natural fit. A car wearing that badge without a proper V8 would be a hard sell to traditional AMG buyers. The same logic applies to a possible Mercedes-AMG E63 revival. If AMG wants to take another shot at the BMW M5 and the next Audi RS6 Sedan and Avant, showing up without eight cylinders would be a risky move.
Mercedes-AMG has not released full technical details yet, but Scheibe has already indicated the new engine will deliver more power than before. The most likely foundation is an evolved version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 already seen in updated flagship applications such as the latest S-Class and GLS range. In those luxury models, the engine makes 530 hp and 750 Nm of torque. In proper AMG form, expect considerably more.
The likely unit, often referred to as the M177 Evo, should be tuned harder for dedicated performance models. That means sharper response, more aggressive calibration, and the sort of output figures that put AMG back into the conversation where it has always been strongest: high-performance road cars with real character.
There is another important reason this decision matters. Weight.
AMG is openly rethinking how much electrification belongs in its fastest combustion models. Scheibe admitted the company has not finalized whether the plug-in hybrid four-cylinder system will continue in future applications. His reasoning was refreshingly blunt. Batteries and hybrid hardware add a lot of mass, and if the goal is a lighter, more focused driver’s car, a V8 without the extra electrical baggage can sometimes be the smarter answer.
That does not mean AMG is walking away from performance hybrids altogether. Models like the GLE 53 and E53 still make strategic sense, especially in Europe and other regions where emissions rules leave manufacturers with limited room to play. In that context, electrified six-cylinder performance cars remain a practical compromise.
The C-Class is moving in a different direction
As for the C-Class, AMG seems ready to close one chapter and open another. The facelifted sedan is expected to receive a new AMG version powered by a free-revving six-cylinder engine instead of a V8. That move is hardly surprising. The GLC 53 has already shown the direction of travel, effectively stepping in where the old 43 and 63 models once sat, using an inline-six rather than a smaller electrified four-cylinder setup.
That engine, known as the M256M, produces 443 hp and 600 Nm of torque, with a temporary overboost function lifting torque to 640 Nm for 10 seconds. On paper, those are serious numbers. More importantly, a six-cylinder layout should feel more natural and emotionally convincing in an AMG than the heavily debated four-cylinder plug-in hybrid formula.
Put simply, AMG appears to be rebuilding its combustion lineup around a clearer hierarchy. Inline-six engines for the smaller and mid-size performance cars. V8 engines for the flagship AMG models. And in a small corner of the range, a V12 still survives in the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class for markets with looser CO2 rules.
It is a notable reversal from the industry narrative that seemed unstoppable just a few years ago. At a time when most brands are still talking up electrification at every opportunity, AMG is now saying it is doubling down on internal combustion once again.
That does not mean regulations have disappeared. Far from it. Developing large-capacity engines that can comply with increasingly strict European emissions rules is brutally difficult, especially with Euro 7 on the horizon. AMG says it has found a way through that engineering maze, which is no small claim.
Long term, the pressure is only going to increase. The European Union is targeting a 90 percent reduction in fleet-wide emissions by 2035 compared with 2021 levels, and that leaves every combustion engine program under scrutiny. Still, that does not automatically spell the end of six-cylinder and V8 AMG models worldwide. Even if Europe becomes an ever tougher environment for ICE cars, other global markets may allow these powertrains to live on well into the 2030s.
And that, perhaps, is the real story here. AMG is not pretending the clock has stopped. It knows exactly where the market is heading. But it also knows something else: performance buyers still care about sound, feel, weight, and mechanical identity. Sometimes the old recipe survives because it still works.
For AMG, the V8 was never just an engine. It was the brand’s heartbeat. This year, that heartbeat gets louder again.
Source: motor1
Comments
Armin
Nice they bring back the V8, but making it exclusive to pricey SUVs feels like selling nostalgia to the richest buyers. C63 fans left out, maybe hope later?
mechbyte
Is this even true? Sounds like PR spin, or are they actually dropping the C-Class V8 for good? 🤔 Feels risky if so.
driveline
Finally!! V8 is back, but only in SUVs? ugh. kinda happy tho... the sound still matters. gonna miss a proper C63 with real bark
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