Remember we said Mercedes has plans for an AMG line-up expansion? Well, two of the upcoming models will be the GLC63 and GLC63 Coupe, and neither of them will reportedly use the C63’s V8 lump.
The news comes from Mercedes-AMG CEO Tobias Moers, who told Car Advice that the full-fat high-performance GLCs will borrow the drivetrain from the all-new Mercedes-AMG E63.
Although performance figures are still a guess, the E63 most certainly won’t share the same power output (469 HP and 503 HP) with the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 with the C-Class, so expect something closer to 550 HP for the base model and around 600 HP for “S” versions.
Expect power outputs for the GLC63 and GLC63 Coupe models to be dialed down over the E63s in order to keep a clear hierarchy in the range.
“We are in the final phases of doing the new E63, with the totally new drivetrain, with a new four-wheel-drive system engineered by us. And in our understanding, all other 63 models coming up to the market, they have to use the new, more sophisticated drivetrain,” Moers said.
That means the E63 Wagon, Coupe, Cabriolet and (probably) the next-gen CLS will all share the same hardware, described by Moers as “the biggest step ever made in one generation of E-Class to another”.
Although an official timetable has been confirmed, the GLC couple is expected in the metal by next year as Moers concluded: “So E63 comes first, and after that, maybe the GLC63.” And that’s a definite “maybe”.
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