New 2023 Mercedes-AMG C 63 wagon not for Australia

Mercedes-Benz Australia has ruled out offering a wagon version of the incoming 2023 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance, which lands in sedan guise from mid-year.

Local reps for the German car-maker are also confident the new C 63 super-sedan, which moves from being a V8 to a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid and will be more expensive at around $200,000 plus on-road costs, will also receive strong support from Aussie buyers, despite the engine downsize. 

The rival BMW M3 will be offered in wagon form for the first time early next year, joining the Audi RS 4 Avant.

However, Mercedes says that high-performance wagon sales have dropped off a cliff as buyers turn to SUVs like the GLC 63 AMG.

“The wagon won’t be offered in the current generation based on sales volume in the past,” said Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis.

“There’s simply not enough demand for wagons not only for a C-Class but across the range. Most people are moving towards SUVs, and with the new GLC arriving next year we’ll see that shift again.”

That said, Stamoulis said the new C 63 PHEV will bring new customers to the brand.

“Whenever there’s a new AMG no matter what it is, there’s always strong interest. We’re not collecting numbers of orders just yet but we’ve already seen the interest via social channels and online channels is quite high,” he said.

“Once people learn more about the car and understand that the technology the vehicle has, we think those numbers will only increase.”

Asked about the radical powertrain shift and the higher prices, Stamoulis said: “We think that’s not really going to play much into it.

“It’s still too early to talk specific pricing – we are expecting an increase over the outgoing car – but we’re also seeing an increase in technology that’s in the vehicle.”

The new 2023 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance is powered by a boosted version of the A 45 AMG’s 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, now cranking out 350kW and 545Nm thanks to an electric turbocharger, which hooks up to a rear-mounted electric motor (150kW/320Nm).

Combined, the PHEV can deliver an earth-shaking 500kW of power and 1020Nm of torque.

But this shift from a V8 to a four-cylinder hybrid has polarised opinion among the AMG faithful and casual tyre kickers alike.

“It’s not the first time we’ve introduced new technology to a car and it creates debate amongst enthusiast or AMG owners. But we think there’ll be more people coming than going away from the brand with the new C 63,” said Stamoulis.

“It will be people that maybe aren’t ready to make that leap to full-electric performance and there’s still another element of an ICE [internal combustion engine].”

Launching in July 2023, the first 12 months of sales of the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 are expected to be strong. It’s not clear how many customer pre-orders are in the can, but carsales can confirm that some dealers are holding cash deposits.

“Historically we’ve had excellent [vehicle supply and] support from AMG for our market. It’s too early to talk about initial supply but we’ll know more closer to launch,” said Stamoulis, adding that around one in three Mercedes cars sold Down Under are AMG vehicles.

Given that Australia regularly ranks as a top-five global market for AMG, with Aussies buying more of the high-performance luxury vehicles than any other country in the world per capita, it stands to reason that the local market will be given sufficient allocation to satisfy demand.

Check out our review of the 2023 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance here.

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