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.
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.”
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
Comments
Can electric cars just like… heck off? Can we just start driving on hydrogen or methane or something so cars can still make cool brum brum and stututu sounds? And by that I mean real sound, not some engine sounds being played through the speakers?
If you want to go ahead and build the infrastructure for hydrogen all by yourself be my guest. Otherwise, realize that electric is the future.
EDIT: Didn’t realize this article was 5 months old. Typical Carthrottle reposting old stuff for views.
Here lies a picture of Mercedes-Benz employees.
Hang on . . . Aston Martin has started using part-AMG engines.
They’d better not ruin the Bondmobile too!
The effects of future electric cars. goodbye amg.
I thought i could find comfort in high prize brands since next gen cars have brought a lot of unexcitement (the death of the Fiesta ST, mild looking GTI’s, boring Swift Sport) and now you AMG? Those brands may have to reinvent themselves to survive but they can’t rebuild the passion and trust we had on them. Sorry to say that i am looking at the car scene’s twilight, ruined by all non car people
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Nissan420sx QianLi
I’m more pissed of to the death of the Holden Commodore than this.
Stop overreacting, people. That’s because the title is misleading. AMG isn’t dying anytime soon.
That’s truly sad news! But nowadays its all about being green, fuel efficient and of course making money. To be honest i get the feeling that even a brand like AMG doesn’t care about enthusiasts. An EV will never be as charismatic as a big V8. I mean think of a cat like the 300 sel 6.3 amg red pig, man that was a best. Sadly now i know that we can’t even trust in AMG.
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