With government-set environmental norms set to tighten over the next few years, a possible pullback from the current American administration notwithstanding, automakers are planning ahead in accordance with them and developing more and more green options across their portfolios. And the fastest way to green is through hybrid and all-electric mobility solutions.
When they first appeared, hybrid vehicles were for the most part simple and generic products, the sole mission of which was to reduce fuel consumption. The words hybrid and performance were rarely uttered in the same breath.
Things, obviously, have changed. Today, a car that uses electrical power in some form is no longer automatically labeled a dullard. On the contrary, the market is being increasingly populated by highly powerful models that are at least in part electrically powered.
This week we learned that one of those that will enter this market segment is the Mercedes-AMG C63. Company head Tobias Moers declared to Car Advice magazine that the next-generation C63 would feature a hybrid powertrain.
The S variant of the current C63 delivers 502 hp via its 4L twin-turbo V8, while the base model generates 469 hp. Unveiled just last week at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, the 2019 edition also incorporates a 9-speed automatic transmission and gets a number of interior upgrades, led by an immense 12.3-inch multifunction screen.
No information was provided regarding the type of hybrid system the next edition may get. Tobias Moers did refer to an intelligent system that would be “capable of having an always-on strategy”.
The Mercedes-AMG head also implied that the next-generation C63 could well benefit from all-wheel drive, perhaps in response to BMW doing the same in the new M5. It certainly not be a surprise to see a setup installed in the new C63 that closely resembles the one found in its sworn enemy, which uses a system that favours the rear wheels. The key would be to preserve as much of the model’s own DNA as possible, of course.
This plan for the next generation of Mercedes-AMG’s C63, while still quite a ways away, confirms a trend that simply can’t be denied: the traditional sports sedan, as we’ve known it, is in the midst of a gradual but unstoppable transformation.