Mercedes-AMG’s Next C63 Hits a V8 Roadblock: The New Flat-Plane Engine Isn’t Ready Yet
Mercedes-Benz made a bet on a four-cylinder hybrid for its iconic C63 S E Performance, and it hasn’t paid off. Sure, the numbers are staggering, 671 horsepower and enough torque to pull a small ship, but AMG buyers aren’t buying it. They want the rumble, the presence, the eight-cylinder drama that defines the badge.
And there’s another problem: that four-cylinder can’t meet upcoming European emissions rules. It’s a convenient exit for Mercedes, blaming regulations for the hybrid’s short life, but the truth is simpler: enthusiasts never warmed up to it. So when will a new C63, and its E63 sibling, arrive?
Only when a new V8 is ready.
Mercedes already has a fresh V8, the M 177 Evo, which debuted this year in the 2027 S-Class. 0-liter twin-turbo, now with a flat-plane crankshaft, making 530 hp. But Mercedes calls it “refined,” not a barnstormer. According to Road & Track, the company isn’t ready to drop it into a C63.
Board member Mathias Geisen said, “First, we have to make sure we have a very nice and sophisticated V8. ” That’s curious, because the engine is already heading to AMG’s biggest SUVs, the GLE 63 S Coupe and GLS 63, tuned to 603 hp. So is Geisen hinting at an even more powerful version, or something entirely new?
The current C63 makes 671 hp, so a replacement can’t dip below that, especially with European regulations looming. Might Mercedes keep a hybrid setup with the V8?
For now, performance-hungry buyers will have to eye the non-hybrid inline-six, likely debuting soon as a C53. The bigger lesson? Enthusiasts won’t abandon V8s just for better numbers. Ram learned that, and Dodge is learning it now. Even with stricter emissions coming, automakers are finding ways to keep the V8 alive as a halo option, not a volume seller, but a showroom draw that gets people in the door, dreaming of eight cylinders while leaving with a six or a hybrid that matches or beats it on paper.
Mercedes-AMG might just follow that same playbook.
Source: CarBuzz
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