Although Mercedes has stopped developing new combustion engines, the ones it currently has aren’t dead yet. In fact, the brand’s mighty V8 will stick around for another decade or so, says Philipp Schiemer, head of AMG, Maybach, and G-Class.
“I think there will be a future, yes,” Schiemer told Road & Track. “I think for the next ten years we will see the V8s, for sure. We have a lot of customers who love their cars and I still think that we will see those people buying the [V8] cars for a long time.”
Indeed, the engine and its distinctive bellow have won over quite a few fans. As time moves on, though, a degree of electrification is inevitable, like for instance the one applied to the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S e-Performance, according to Jochen Hermann, AMG’s chief technical officer.
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“You have this extra power, like low-end torque which is usually more of an issue for a combustion engine,” said Hermann. “We get that instant torque, whereas, you know, on a German Autobahn […] this is where the V8 engine really kicks in.”
For engineers, meanwhile, the bonus is being able to accomplish more with a single vehicle than ever before. At once comfortable, fierce, and (a bit) greener, hybridization has many appeals.
“I think it’s the thrill we have with this new layout,” Hermann added. “It’s complicated, to be honest. And actually, we had a tough time to get it to a point where we could say, ‘ok, this is where we want it to be.’ And the thing is, now having gone through all this we know there’s so much more that we can do with a powertrain layout like this.”
Mercedes’ head of development, Markus Schafer, though, said recently that plug-in hybrids are inherently flawed. Although the automaker will see out its investment in PHEVs, that technology, too, will eventually be dumped in favor of EVs.
