DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: AMG E 63 Coupe unlikely
Mercedes-Benz hot tuner says it has more important priorities than AMG versions of the new E-Class CoupeAnyone licking their lips at the prospect of a 450kW all-wheel drive AMG version of the svelte new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe revealed at the Detroit motor show yesterday seems bound for disappointment.
Riding high on record sales but with a massive amount of engineering and development underway (and even more to come as Benz expands its small-car line-up from five to eight models), Benz’s hot-tuner division has turned cold on an E 63 coupe – or for that matter a V8 turbo version of the convertible that will follow.
Nor will the hottest versions of the new E-Class coupe and convertible be powered by AMG's turbocharged 3.0-litre V6, which would logically have powered a potential Mercedes-AMG E 43 Coupe.
Instead, as revealed last month by Autocar, the new E coupe and cabriolet are expected to be offered with a new 'E 50' badge from AMG, powered by the same inline six-cylinder hybrid system that will debut in the facelifted S-Class, in which the engine drives the rear wheels and an electric motor drives the front wheels.
Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers would not discuss future AMG versions of the latest E-Class Coupe after its global reveal in Detroit this week, but he ruled out an E 63 Coupe for now.
“We have the capability to do that (E 63 coupe/convertible) but that’s not finally decided,” he told motoring.com.au.
“You know what we bring to the market with the E-Class Coupe, but not the E 63 so far.
“That’s not a growth segment. We have a very good performing C-Class Coupe and the question always is price; where is the price going to be for such a car?
“We also have a very successful S-Class Coupe and things like that.
“It’s not finally discussed, but as of now, no.”
AMG is continuing an already established policy by not hotting up the E-Class coupe and convertible, as it didn’t modify the last generation either.
But that car was based on both C-Class and unique underpinnings, whereas the new generation is derived straight from the E-Class sedan’s new MRA modular rear-/all-wheel drive architecture.
But that counts for little with Moers.
Mercedes-AMG set a spectacular 99,235 sales record in 2016 and Moers made it clear the focus was on growing that further in the future, which is more likely to come from the compact cars than the E-Class.
“Expansion of the portfolio with the MFA (front-/all-wheel drive) models gives us opportunities,” he said.
Moers said there was no concern that increased sales would dilute exclusivity or that sales would top out any time soon.
“The question about exclusivity is always rising up,” he conceded. “But every car we bring to the market should be a perfect ambassador for the brand … and so far that is the case.
“So I don’t see any risk for the brand. It is so exclusive to drive a Mercedes-Benz and even more exclusive to drive an AMG, so I don’t see any risk for the brand.
“I see more potential for the future. With higher volume we have more dedication in sales. We have more people out at the point of sales.
“This gives us opportunities to increase volume and get the potential out of the markets -- this is part of the strategy.
“I don’t see where it (sales) is going to stop.”
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