Mercedes is planning a sort of return to form in the coming years in an effort to increase its sales as well as expand its line-up and recapture a bit of that former aggressive, yet elegant magic that has been chipped away at of late. With M-B’s foreign markets plateauing, the North American market is squarely in its sights as whispers of a hi-po AMG V8 model surface around the web.
The latest S580 has already been revealed to pack the beefy M177 Evo twin-turbo V8 under its hood, which boasts a sportier flat-plane crank set-up, as opposed to the less raucous cross-plane structure. Some insiders believe this will be the beating heart of the upcoming super coupe from the German luxury car manufacturer. And we’re so here for it!
An Ultra-Rare V8 Super Coupe Is On The Horizon
According to Auto News, Mercedes-AMG is positioning itself for an “All Eyes On Me” impact in the coming years, with a few new AMG EVs, a drop-top G-Wagon, and a particularly juicy V8 model, the latter said to be limited to just 30 examples worldwide. That V8 model? The CLE 63, a sleek coupe that exudes elegant sporting in every sense of the term. The reports making their rounds right now, which were revealed to US and Canadian dealers in Sindelfingen, Germany, on March 17, give scant details regarding the AMG CLE 63, though with M-B slipping the flat-plane V8 into the 2027 S-Class, it’s hard to imagine they’re not itching to put it in an AMG.
The initial report places horsepower at 646 for the CLE 63, though some experts theorize that number could change when production time rolls around. And while that remains to be seen, a 600+ horsepower V8 AMG coupe could serve as proof of concept to a certain degree, in that it’s possible we could see the M177 Evo find a home in various AMG models if the reception and growth follow M-B’s projection, which, according to Auto News, sits at 400,000 US retail sales a year by the end of the decade; its current goal is a seven percent increase for this year, or around 325,000 vehicles.
The V-8 Return We’ve Been Praying For
AMG hasn’t been on enthusiasts’ good side ever since the small but mighty M139l, a four-cylinder turbo-hybrid mill, replaced the twin-turbo V-8 in the C63. And while a mechanical masterpiece in its own right, taking away someone’s V-8 and putting a small, complicated plug-in hybrid unit in its place may not have been the best idea. And AMG has actually acknowledged this fact. That said, AMG’s move to include six-cylinder options to previously four-cylinder-only lines, like the GLC 53 coupe, as well as the latest S580 getting a new V-8, has folks hopeful Mercedes-AMG may be scaling back its big-engine witch hunt.
We also have to consider the AMG CLE Mythos, a high-performance model based on the CLE that was teased a while back. Reports place the flat-plane V8, or a version of it, under its hood, so speculation surrounding the M177 Evo as the soul of the upcoming CLE 63 is based on the current movement of the brand. The report also mentioned a new two-door AMG GT Black Series, which, again, classic AMG fans are hoping will also receive the V8. And, of course, we’re all hoping to see the C63 make its V8 comeback, though that may be one for the wishing well, as Mercedes has all but said it isn’t going to happen. Fingers crossed they recant that notion!
Sources: Auto News, Mercedes-Benz