Mercedes-AMG C 63 performance coupe to get lots of hybrid power

The next decade in cars will revolutionize the landscape, as iconic holdouts switch to electrification. When Australian outlet Car Advice asked Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Möers about the future of the brand's high-performance cars, Moërs revealed, "[The] next-generation Mercedes-AMG C 63 will be a hybrid — that's now a given." What's more, AMG might have the AMG C 63's successor send its power to all four wheels.

Like every other performance car maker, AMG runs a steeplechase through competing challenges, two primary ones being customer demand for more power and government demand for cleaner emissions. The current AMG C 63, just refreshed for this year, puts out 503 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Moërs said, "[We] have to be creative, and I'm chasing performance, and that's not strictly linked to the number of cylinders." With early reports of a plug-in hybrid next-generation SL getting more than 700 hp, it's reasonable to expect the entire lineup to get more brawny. To do that reasonably, there's no reason AMG wouldn't avail itself of technology from Mercedes'  all-electric EQ lineup that begins launching in 2019.

Moërs stressed the utilization of an "always-on strategy regarding the battery and the whole system." Therefore, we imagine something similar to, but more substantial than, the micro-hybrid powertrain in the current 53-series AMGs. When applied to the 43-series AMG cars, the twin-turbo inline-six engine made 362 hp and 369 lb-ft. After installing the electric motor between engine and transmission, numbers climb to 429 hp and 384 lb-ft. Apply a similar bump to the AMG C 63, and it's clear why Moërs hinted to Car Advice that all-wheel drive could arrive with the next car.

With the current C-Class just three years old and refreshed this year, we're undoubtedly a few years away from a new AMG revolution. It's more likely we'll meet the coming SL-Class first. The AMG boss said of that icon, "It's going to be something very different from the current car."