Mercedes-AMG to Drop Four-Cylinder for Inline-Sixes and V-8s

'Mercedes-AMG is transitioning away from the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain,' reports Car and Driver, 'and back towards the inline-six and V-8 powertrains more traditionally associated with the brand.'

That isn't to say that AMG had a change of heart concerning the merits of the four-cylinder powertrain, but rather that the automaker is responding to customer criticisms. 'Technically, the four-cylinder is one of the most advanced drivetrains available in a production car. It's also right up there on performance. But despite this, it failed to resonate with our traditional customers. We've recognized that,' a source at Mercedes told Autocar...
Car and Driver also spoke with AMG chief Michael Schiebe at the reveal of the AMG GT XX electric concept car... Although the four-cylinder may be on its way out, Schiebe did say AMG remains committed to plug-in hybrids. 'There are a lot of advantages of combining electric motors with combustion engines,' Schiebe said. 'We want to offer different kinds of drivetrain opportunities on the combustion side to our customers, so they can choose for whatever purpose they want to use the car.'

Much of the criticism of the C63 and GLC63's powertrain was focused on the lackluster sound when compared with the symphony of a V-8. The M139 drew our ire for sounding 'reedy' and 'buzzy' in our test of the current C63. The C63's hybrid system also brings the car's curb weight up to nearly 5000 pounds, meaning it didn't provide a meaningful performance boost over its V-8 predecessor despite offering significantly more horsepower....
AMG wouldn't confirm exactly when the four-cylinder will be phased out, telling Autocar that it will remain in production for the time being before 'eventually' being replaced.


Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader sinij for sharing the news.

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