The Death Of AMG As We Know It Has Been Confirmed And It's Coming To Take Our V8s

We know we've got to accept some losses in the fight to reduce carbon emissions, but we'd held some small hope that AMG might persist with V8s until the bitter end. That hope is now all but gone
The Death Of AMG As We Know It Has Been Confirmed And It's Coming To Take Our V8s

If you’re looking for a profitable new startup idea, make it AMG-branded black armbands: the company has admitted that it will have to ‘reinvent’ itself when it comes to developing faster, more aggressive versions of future Mercedes-Benz electric cars.

It’s confirmation that the wonderful AMG as we know it is in its twilight years. It can see its own end just as it can see the new beginning that will come afterwards, but it can’t successfully market itself as both a purveyor of thunderous V8s and a peddler of near-silent high-power electric motors. The two don’t mesh when they’re not under the same body. The part of AMG that can do things with a V8 that no one else can will have to die in order to give birth to its new and very different electric-era persona.

The Death Of AMG As We Know It Has Been Confirmed And It's Coming To Take Our V8s

AMG’s total integration into the Mercedes design process means they can ensure from day one that each new model has what it takes to then be developed into an AMG variant if needed. And that, said Drummond Jacoy, Mercedes-AMG’s Director of Vehicle Development, in an interview with Autocar, is going on right now.

“As soon as Mercedes starts a car, we’ll look at what we can do. We’ll have to reinvent ourselves there (with electric cars), obviously, because the sound of a V8 is not going to be there if it’s a pure-electric vehicle. It’s not starting from scratch, but we’re going to have to look at what the AMG story is with an electric vehicle. But we’re working on that.”

We'd still take a C63 instead...
We'd still take a C63 instead...

AMG is still developing incredible hybrids like the Project One hypercar, but using the 2013 Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive as an example, Jacoy points to a future that’s more 12v than V12.

“It’s obvious we’re not going to make the world happy with V8s for the next 200 years, and AMG has shown in the past, with the electric SLS years ago, that it has capabilities in all-electric drive. That was a very impressive vehicle for its time and we’ve nurtured that technology and the learning we have from hybrid vehicles.”

We’d beg to differ on the V8s front, Mr Jacoy, and if you can just keep making at least one AMG version, we’ll forgive you the rest…
Via: Autocar

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Comments

Dave 15
  1. I don’t see why AMG can’t market itself as a performance brand regardless of methods used to attain that performance.
  2. What the hell does this mean for Aston Martin? They better not go all-electric too!
08/11/2017 - 16:35 |
2 | 0

To be honest, I’m more worried about Pagani

08/11/2017 - 19:09 |
6 | 0
Anonymous

Can anyone get that idiot fired?!?

08/11/2017 - 16:52 |
8 | 2
V-Tech and EcoBoost kicked in yo

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Don’t think firing people for making logical decisions is a good idea….

EDIT: Didn’t realize this article was 5 months old. Typical Carthrottle reposting old stuff for views.

12/31/2017 - 08:40 |
0 | 0
Daksh Pat

I is sad :(

08/11/2017 - 17:08 |
2 | 0
chomper123

If the V8 goes then Mercedes isn’t what it’s ment to be anymore
AMG is literally the spine of the company. I stand for the V8’s, they can steal the emotions of pure racing (thanks FIA) but they can’t steal our driving experience

08/11/2017 - 17:30 |
10 | 0
Anonymous

And it’s back to the asylum for the AMG workers then.

08/11/2017 - 18:10 |
8 | 0
Mac Jameson

From v12 to v8 and now there is the 12v

08/11/2017 - 18:18 |
8 | 0
TheBagel

As an AMG fan, I’ve grown up around AMG models, this is devastating.

08/11/2017 - 19:15 |
8 | 0
5:19.55

It started with BMW, continued with audi and now it’s Mercedes time… I though the awd super saloon transformation would be the last thing…

08/11/2017 - 19:39 |
6 | 0
Raptor867

This is what I like about AMG… v8s !!! Hope they don’t die 🙃

08/11/2017 - 20:07 |
6 | 2
Unamd Prcent

This is a bs article. They don’t say that they’re stopping the V8 just that they’re doing electrics as well.

08/11/2017 - 20:23 |
0 | 0