Mercedes-AMG R&D boss: 'Hybrids huge opportunity'

Mercedes has announced that increasing pressure to meet CO2 targets will force it to adopt hybrid powertrains by 2020.

Talking to Brit mag, Autocar, AMG R&D boss, Thomas Weber, said that his team was working on current hybrid technology to adapt it for a performance application to reduce the CO2 output across its range of models.

“Every car line has to reduce fuel consumption — even AMG,” said Weber, speaking to Autocar. “No one part of our business can be carried on the back of another. It’s a huge task to reduce AMG fuel consumption but we’ve realised that it’s also a huge opportunity.”

The huge pressure to clean up its act comes from an EU-enforced mandatory target for the Daimler group of average emissions not exceeding 101g/km of CO2 by 2020. To meet that target, 95 per cent of all vehicles made by the car giant must comply, but the difficulty comes, according to Weber, the next year in 2021 when every car sold by Daimler must conform to the strict emissions target.

The decision to delay introducing a low-CO2 performance-biased AMG hybrid, according to Weber, is because customers “wouldn’t buy it”.

Some of the CO2-cutting solutions Weber said AMG is considering include petrol hybrid hardware that minimises the weight of adding huge batteries, but brings a significant boost in performance while slashing CO2.

“A simple e-boost solution could help us to add power and regenerate energy by braking,” he said. “It also has the advantage of already being in large-volume production. The system has to be light and cheap.”

As well as hybrid technology, Mercedes-AMG might also follow in Audi’s lead by introducing electric motor-driven turbochargers. E-turbos offer greater efficiency and offer better engine response. They can also boost from idle, offering zero lag and stronger low-down performance.