AMG boss says V8s aren't going anywhere for 10 years

Mercedes-AMG has promised to stick with V8s for the next decade, despite the wider industry rapidly moving towards electrification.

Known for its high-performance models, the German manufacturer is eventually going to follow the lead of Mercedes-Benz by transitioning away from internal combustion engines (ICEs) and into electric vehicles (EVs). The process will begin in 2025 when it releases its final new ICE models.

Speaking to Road & Track, AMG boss Philipp Schiemer said while the performance arm will end the development of its iconic V8 powerplants in the future, it won't necessarily phase them out straight away – hinting at further hybridisation to increase power and get around emissions regulations.

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GT 63 S 4-Door

"I think there will be a future, yes," said Schiemer.

"I think for the next 10 years we will see the V8, for sure. We have a lot of customers who love their cars and I still think that we will see those people buying the [V8] cars for a long time."

AMG surprised the American automotive industry recently when it pulled its V8 range from sale, but Schiemer assured this was due to a quality issue rather than demand.

“I cannot provide you with more details. It’s a quality issue. We are updating our vehicles every year, and we are not satisfied with the quality. And for us it’s quality first. So we have to do some retesting and this is the process we are in at the moment.

“So it’s from vehicle to vehicle, from country to country a different kind of situation.”

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GT 63 S E Performance

Off the back of AMG unveiling the 620kW/1400Nm GT 63 S E Performance earlier this month, Chief Technical Officer Jochen Hermann referenced the company's most powerful production car as an example of what V8 engines are capable of with hybrid assistance.

"You have this extra power, like low-end torque which is usually more of an issue for a combustion engine," said Hermann.

"We get that instant torque, whereas, you know, on a German Autobahn[...] this is where the V8 engine really kicks in.

"So, it's all these different combinations you can have and all of these driving modes. And once the team starts playing around, they realise, 'oh, we can do this, we can do that'.

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EQS 53

"I think it's the thrill we have with this new layout. It's complicated, to be honest. And actually, we had a tough time to get it to a point where we could say, 'ok, this is where we want it to be.' And the thing is, now having gone through all this we know there's so much more that we can do with a powertrain layout like this."

At this year's IAA Mobility Show in Munich, Mercedes-AMG revealed its first ever all-electric vehicle, the EQS 53, based on the standard EQS, but with up to 560kW and 1020Nm on tap, making it Daimler's most powerful EV yet.