Although AMG has been selling four-cylinder cars for years, purists don’t see models such as the CLA45 and GLA45 as full-fat AMGs because of their puny 2.0-liter engines. Enthusiasts do have a problem with the latest C63 and GLC63 since these are also four-bangers now, albeit supplemented by a powerful plug-in hybrid setup. Despite the initial reluctance, Mercedes believes we’ll warm up to full-fat AMGs with downsized powertrains.
Speaking with Australian magazine Carsales, the automaker’s head honcho Down Under compared the gradual acceptance of four-cylinder plug-in hybrids to the early days of buttonless smartphones. Jaime Cohen suggested that, just as some people initially resisted mobile devices without physical keys, the format eventually became widely successful.
“I was one who missed the phone with the keyboard. How can it sell without a keyboard? Well, here’s one without a keyboard. So that progress takes some time and, in the end, it is successful because it is a good product and that is what convinces people. I don’t think there is an issue, it’s a transition, and transitions always take time and always take some convincing and experience.”
Cohen believes the same thing happened with automatic transmissions when car manufacturers started discontinuing manuals. Well, not all premium brands since BMW still sells several M models (plus the Z4 roadster) with three pedals. Mercedes’ boss in Australia says people were hesitant to say goodbye to the stick shift, but after a while, two pedals became common: “When we first moved not, everyone was convinced about our automatic transmissions. But eventually now… everyone has one.”
Cohen is not the first high-ranked Mercedes official to defend the adoption of an electrified four-cylinder powertrain to the detriment of the good ol’ V-8. Just last month, AMG boss Michael Schiebe admitted that “for some customers, they take time to really be excited for the technology.” He went on to say that “it’s important to be open-minded when it comes to technology.”
In an interview last December, the head of Mercedes’ performance division in Affalterbach stated that AMG plans to maintain the downsized setup because it’s “very, very progressive.” Despite reports, the C63 will not revert to a V-8, and the next E63 won’t have eight cylinders either. While the CLE63’s powertrain is a mystery, Schiebe assures that the company “took the right decision” and that we should all be “excited” for its world premiere. The CLE63 coupe and convertible will replace the two-door C63 and E63 models.
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