Mercedes-AMG V8 to continue beyond 2030

If buyers continue to demand traditional V8-powered high-performance models in a future marketplace dominated by EVs, that’s exactly what they’ll get, according to Mercedes-Benz.

Despite an industry-wide shift to electric vehicles, the German premium car-maker is not ready to concede the demise of the V8 internal combustion engine.

Mercedes-Benz vice-president for vehicle development, Joerg Bartels, told carsales that EVs will revolutionise the performance car segment, previewed by its own supercar concept for 2025.

However, he insisted there’s still room in its future product plan for the iconic V8, refusing to put an end date on the much-loved engine.

“In the end it has to fulfil our overall CO2 strategy, and we have a clear path on that one: being CO2 neutral at the end of the ’30s, by 2039. And from 2030 we just want to be pure electric,” he explained.

“But if there’s still a customer demand [for petrol V8s] in some regions, and it’s still part of our offering, why should we stop it?”

The global product boss explained that it was difficult to predict how the market will evolve over the coming decades, observing that “it all depends on the emissions regulations”.

The company is committed to its ‘Ambition 2030’ strategy, which calls for a full-electric line-up by that point, but only “where market conditions” allow it.

That means high-value apex vehicles such as AMG sports cars could continue to offer V8 engines well into next decade.

“I think we’re going to have challenges on the diesel side and also challenges on the petrol side,” Bartels cautioned.

“But some customers will still demand six or eight cylinders … You can find technical solutions for every request and every regulation, but sometimes it’s combined with higher costs and the customer are not always willing to pay for it.

“When we talk about European regulations it’s probably going to be hard from the middle of the 2020s from that point on [to justify combustion engine development], maybe. But the final regulations for EU7 are not yet out.”

Porsche is currently investing heavily in synthetic fuels to keep its legendary boxer combustion engines alive for future Porsche 911 generations.

However, Bartels said Mercedes-Benz was not planning a similar move to e-fuels.

“We have looked into it, of course,” he said. “But in an energetic way it doesn’t really make sense.

“How many kilograms of CO2 do you produce to generate the synthetic fuels?

“We follow this and if this changes it’s not such a big thing to fill e-fuels into your car. But right now we’re not following this path.”

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