Next Mercedes-AMG C 63 set for four-cylinder hybrid power
The replacement sports sedan will reportedly forego its thundering V8 in a bid to lower emissionsThe death knell has seemingly sounded for the thundering 4.0-litre V8 engine that currently powers the Mercedes-AMG C 63.
The German car-maker will reportedly dump the bi-turbo V8 for a hybrid petrol four-cylinder in 2022 in a bid to curb emissions and adapt to modern demands.
the third-generation C 63 will utilise an electrified version of the M139 turbo-four already used in the A 45 and CLA 45. The hybrid powertrain will reportedly send power to all four wheels and produce more than the outgoing C 63’s 375kW output.
Citing AMG insiders but noting that nothing is official at this point, Autocar said the M139 had already been engineered for longitudinal mounting and mild-hybrid electric boosting, traits that bode well for applications in both the C 63 and the lesser C 43, which currently uses a 3.0-litre turbo-six.
Running under Mercedes’ EQ Boost nomenclature, the drivetrain would utilise a 48-volt integrated starter motor for electric boosting in concert with a nine-speed torque-converter MCT Speedshift transmission.
Along with matching the current car’s 375kW outputs, the electrified unit could conceivably produce up to 750Nm of torque while employing an energy recuperation system that harvests kinetic energy at each wheel.
It would ideally do so while slashing weight; at 160.5kg in non-hybrid form, the M139 four-cylinder already undercuts the M177 V8 by nearly 50kg.
Mercedes-AMG’s drivetrain- and architecture-sharing philosophy would ultimately mean the electrified M139 will also do duty in successors to the GLC 43 and GLC 63.
The downsizing measure is understood to stem from efforts to reduce fleet CO2 emissions, and draws on teachings from the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar.
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