Exhausting work vital for Mercedes-AMG

Aussies love performance cars – and we buy them by their thousands.

The lure of performance and luxury is a big part of the attraction, as is owning something exclusive and special, but according to Mercedes-AMG another major aspect of the appeal is emotional.

And, in particular, the sound they make.

More than one in 10 Mercedes-Benz cars sold in Australia is a tyre-frying AMG model and the noise they make is crucial to their appeal.

"Aussies love AMGs and the exhaust plays a big part of that," says Jerry Stamoulis, Mercedes-Benz Australia's head of product communications.

"For AMG, emotion is a big part of the buying experience and one key area is the exhaust note."

From the screaming 280kW four-cylinder turbo engine of the Mercedes-AMG A 45 to the ubiquitous rumble from the 375kW 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in the AMG C 63, each model has a unique sound.

"It doesn’t matter if it's A 45, an S 65, S 63 or an C 43, they each have a distinctive sound and that's also a consideration for the type of customer who wants that vehicle," said Stamoulis.

In many markets there's an optional 'sports' exhaust that amps up the volume but Australian customers tend to tick all the boxes.

But what if you don't want to make so much noise?

"Historically we take performance exhausts as standard [but] if you don’t want a loud exhaust, in most cases you can press a button to adjust the sound."

The automotive industry is undergoing a paradigm shift, which will see more electric vehicles enter development as traditional high-performance (and inefficient) combustion engines fall prey to ever-stricter emissions regulations.

So when Mercedes-AMG vehicles transmogrify into EVs and exhaust pipes disappear, will performance cars be silenced forever?

"You never know. But there'll always be an emotive element," insists Stamoulis.

"Something's got to substitute that noise. We know that AMG customers love the exhaust sounds, so there needs to be some sort of emotive appeal when driving the vehicle."

But will fake sounds cut the mustard?

Several cars already synthesise engine noises and pump them through the stereo systems but AMG is known for its purist approach. However, this will have to change when the EV shift penetrates the AMG brand.

"I don't know about the acoustics, but we know how important emotions are when driving an AMG. Today, we have an exhaust sound; there may be something different in the future.

"But the emotional attachment to a vehicle, a special vehicle, is very hard to capture. How that looks in the future? We'll have to wait and see," concluded Stamoulis.

What do you think – can AMG replicate the sound of a brutal, rip-snorting V8 or will it come up with some sort of UFO-inspired ambient spacecraft acoustic?

Have your say in the comments below.