AMG to Spread the 4.0-Liter V-8 Across the Mercedes Lineup

M178 Engine (4.0-Liter V-8) (Credit: © Mercedes-Benz)

Mercedes is up against the wall in terms of fuel economy and emissions as it is one of the few remaining car companies to not start releasing cars that meet stricter laws in the future on a grand scale. The release of the new, 4.0-liter, biturbo V-8 that’s found in the Mercedes-AMG GT and C63 was a start, but that only covered the AMG-brand cars and not standard models, which feature engines as large as a 5.5-liter V-8 and a 6.0-liter V-12.

According to a report from Autocar, Mercedes has a plan to fix this in the near future. AMG boss, Tobias Moers, reportedly told Autocar that the plan is for Mercedes to use the 4.0-liter V-8 and as the replacement for the 5.5-liter V-8 in non-AMG vehicles. Don’t expect Mercedes to have the hot, AMG-tuned version of the engine. Instead, Mercedes will build its own version of the 4.0-liter engine with the same basic architecture as the AMG-built version.

Moers also went on to say that there are plans to make cars using the 6.0-liter V-12 more compliant too, but they do not include replacing the engine. Rather, Mercedes will focus on reengineering the V-12 and hybridizing it to help meet strict requirements. He also mentioned that reports of adding cylinders to the 4.0-liter to create a new, more efficient V-12 are not accurate.

Moers went on to discuss AMG’s own fuel-economy issues, and said that we will not see diesel-powered AMG models in order to increase fuel economy. With Audi’s RS line of cars looking like they are moving this direction, it is odd to hear the AMG boss eliminate this as an option so quickly.

There is no timetable for these changes, but I look for them to take place slowly over the next two to five years.