Most manufacturers have been hit by the engine downsizing trend and finally, Mercedes-AMG has shed some light regarding the future of the V8 engine in the C63 and AMG GT 4-Door models.
With the Mercedes-AMG new powertrains, the company is using a ‘modular’ approach that will see four-cylinder or eight-cylinder petrol engines paired with a 9-speed auto box gain an Electric Drive Unit (EDU in short) on the rear axle.
The EDU features a 6.1kWh lithium-ion battery, electric motor, electrically controlled differential, a cooling system for all 560 cells as well as a two-speed transmission.
With all that mixture, Mercedes-AMG promises outputs of 600 kW and over 1 000 Nm of torque churned out by the 4.0-litre V8 E Performance model.
The setup will debut in the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door and will dispatch the model to 100km/h from rest in under 3.0 seconds.
Sadly, the next-gen C63 S will ditch the V8 bi-turbo engine for a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that’s similar to that in the new AMG A45 and its CLA 45 siblings, and will be longitudinally mounted. The news has been met with much criticism from fans and some owners of the first and second generation models.
Its power will be amped to 330 kW before the EDU motor kicks in and according to AMG, it is way better than the current gen’s V8 motor. Of course, we will await until we’ve tested the setup ourselves before confirming the manufacturer’s bold claims.
The EDU in the rear axle is developed together with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team situated in Brixworth in England.
According to that outfit, the EDU produces 150 kW and 320 Nm for 10-second spurts and about 70 kW is always available in hand for when you need it. Also, a belt-driven starter-alternator makes 10.4 kW for features such as air conditioning, lights and starting up the engine.
The next-gen Mercedes-AMG C63 will likely reach our shores in 2022 when final specification details and pricing will be confirmed.
