- The current C-Class likely won’t get AMG’s new twin-turbo V8.
- Mercedes says the math no longer works for this car’s lifecycle.
- The next C-Class keeps the door open for a V8 after 2028.
Mercedes-AMG has revealed that the current-generation C-Class, which just received a mid-cycle facelift, likely won’t receive its new 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, not even in C 63 guise, dashing hopes that the company’s BMW M3 competitor would finally get the engine it so desperately needs.
Given that a slew of new models from AMG will get this engine, now fitted with a flat-plane crank and Euro 7 emissions-compliant, including new flagship versions of the CLE Coupe and CLE Cabriolet, many had assumed the current C-Class would follow suit. Sadly, Mercedes head of product management and global training, Klaus Rehkugler, says it probably doesn’t make financial sense to give the C-Class this engine.
Also: Mercedes Gives 2028 C-Class A Bigger Overhaul Than Its New Grille Lets On
“We have announced that you will see a true V8-powered performance car in the form of the CLE coupe and cabrio, but most likely not in the C-Class,” he revealed to Car Expert. “Although the four-door C63 was a very popular car in several markets, including North America, Australia, Japan, China and Korea, we’re not planning a return of the V8 model.”
“It comes down to a question of ‘can you get the amortization back given the remaining lifecycle of the current C-Class?’ and the answer is ‘probably not’.”
There’s Still Hope For The Next-Gen C-Class
This leaves the future of the current C 63 somewhat up in the air. Production of the current plug-in hybrid four-cylinder model is expected to end imminently, if it hasn’t already ended as per reports from late last year. Mercedes-AMG is said to be preparing a new C 53 using a non-hybridized engine to fill the void left behind by this model, although it obviously won’t quite match the C 63 in the performance stakes, despite having two more cylinders.
Read: Mercedes-AMG’s Flat-Plane V8 Mythos Is Being Built To Ruin The BMW M4
Where does this leave the C 63? Mercedes has been building the current C-Class since 2021 and just took the wraps off a thoroughly updated model. A next-generation version, potentially arriving in late 2028, is on the agenda, and Rehkugler failed to rule out the possibility of this version eventually getting the V8. What he did say is that Mercedes should be able to keep its new V8 alive for at least another 10 years, leaving the door open for a next-gen, eight-cylinder C 63.
