Cutting through the four-cylinder C63 AMG rumors

While the current C63 AMG is a rear-wheel-drive V-8 beast with twin turbos and enough torque to shred any tire, the one due in 2022 will change that entire drivetrain. The question now is the number of cylinders involved.

We know the 2022 C63 AMG will be an all-wheel-drive hybrid with the same kind of rear-wheel-drive mode you get with today’s variable 4MATIC+ system. That’s a given since this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and also perfectly reasonable knowing how stringent the upcoming emission regulations will be in Europe. AMG will have no option but to apply the same technology to all of its models, including the AMG GT following the yet-to-be-released Black Series.

While one would imagine a beefed-up straight-six in place of the 4.0-liter V-8, Autocar reports that the next C63 will in fact be powered by “an electrified version of the turbocharged 2.0-litre M139 engine when it goes on sale in early 2022.” Could this really be? A C63 with half the cylinders?

Autocar news editor Lawrence Allan threw more into the fire by tweeting “apparently, AMG boss Tobias Moers walked out of the boardroom when this was decided.”

Unconfirmed, of course, but people who met Tobias Moers would tell you that AMG’s boss would indeed walk out of a boardroom if the people in it disrespected AMG’s V-8s. However, despite being most famous for its eight-cylinders, AMG has also evolved into a company that makes a 2.0-liter turbo-four producing 416 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. And with the current C63 V-8 pumping out 503-horsepower in “S” tune, it’s easy to see how an upgraded 48-volt hybrid system could bring a four-cylinder powertrain to the required statistical heights. A beefy electric motor could also boost torque, and allow for a more sophisticated all-wheel drive setup.

In the name of clean air and politics, AMG’s upcoming hypercar, the Mercedes-AMG One, is also powered by a hybrid drivetrain Benz borrowed from its 2016 Formula 1 car: namely, a 1.6-liter V-6 with both a kinetic (MGU-K) and a heat-harvesting (MGU-H) hybrid element.

Two years to go until we learn about the C63’s fate for sure, but either way Mercedes goes, expect AMG’s noise to get toned down, even if the car’s speed will be kept at sufficient levels. Which is another given.