Mercedes-AMG confirms new V8 super-engine to succeed the M178 biturbo

Downsizing? Only in European Commission leaflets. Mercedes-AMG has confirmed it is developing a new V8 super-engine to succeed the highly regarded twin-turbo M178. And no, it is not a plug-in hybrid dressed up as a muscle car.

Speaking to Car and Driver, AMG chief executive Michael Schiebe made it plain that cylinder count still matters in Affalterbach: a new V8 engine is currently being developed.

It will be a more efficient powerplant, but one that will not necessarily need a plug-in hybrid electric unit. “We don’t necessarily need to go that far with hybridisation,” Schiebe said, referring to purists’ preference for the GT 63 Pro over the GT 63 S E-Performance.

Put simply: more noise and less weight. That appears to be the formula Mercedes-AMG customers want most.

Mercedes-AMG V8: good news and bad news

While other manufacturers count cylinders as though they were calories, Mercedes-AMG is working from a different calculation. There is demand, there are customers and there are margins. Where there are margins, there is room for a V8. At least outside Europe. For European buyers, as we will see, the outlook may be less encouraging.

A V8 for current and future models

First, though, let us focus on what petrolheads want to hear. The German marque will not only retain the engine in its current models, but also intends to fit it to other vehicles where such a prestigious mechanical package has not previously been possible. Which models will those be? We will have to wait and see.

Europe and the 2035 deadline

Naturally, Europe is still assessing what can and cannot be done, with the 2035 deadline remaining in place. Yet the world does not end in Brussels, and Mercedes knows it. The United States, the Middle East and Asia all offer space, fuel and enthusiasm. AMG wants to continue to “fulfil customers’ dreams”, Schiebe said. European customers, however, may not be able to dream quite as freely as they once did.

It now remains to be seen how many more years AMG’s V8 engine can outrun the regulatory clock. One thing is certain: its farewell could be suitably spectacular. In the meantime, other legends are making a comeback: