Back to elitism, Mercedes-AMG will reduce its range

A household gets ready in AMG’s workshops in Affalterbach, Germany. The boss ofAMG wants to refocus its activities on the most powerful products by reducing the offer of entry-level models.

Mercedes-AMG just unveiled the most powerful racing car in its history at the IAA Munich Motor Show last week; this is thebAMG GT63 SE Performance 2023. This monster develops no less than 831 horsepower and produces 1,033 pound-feet of torque. We owe this orgy of power to the 4.0-liter V8, but above all to the contribution of the electric motor that accompanies it. These are precisely the kinds of products that AMG will focus on over the next several years.

Displacement reduction and electrification

We know that, at AMG, all new creations will come with a reduction in displacement, but all will be accompanied by an electric motor. There is the GT63 S, and more “reasonably”, the next generation of C63 will come with a hybrid powertrain consisting of a turbocharged 4-cylinder and an electric motor. AMG already announces a cavalry exceeding 600 horses. There is also a good chance that the C63 will resume its place as the entry-level model in the AMG family in the short term.

To want too much

AMG will reframe its activities for several reasons. The question of prestige is central, AMG has become so democratized that the exclusivity of the division has been considerably diluted over the last decade. We owe this reality to a strong desire for profitability and sales volume, but everything was done to the detriment of AMG’s elitist reputation.

On the tightrope

Small cars built on the basis of traction, the A35, A45, CLA35, CLA45, GLA45 and GLB35 are now on a tight rope. It is precisely these kinds of vehicles that AMG boss Philipp Schiemer wants to see less and less leave his facilities. There is no question of simply canceling them. Either the production will be reduced to increase the rarity, or the products will not see a follow-up at the time of the change of generation of the regular models.

Real AMG

AMG wants to focus on its own designs and no longer focus on performance models from the “regular” Mercedes-Benz range. Therefore, it is cars like the AMG GT in all its forms including the 63 SE Performance, Black Series or the ultimate Project One to several million. This reality is accentuated by the fact that AMG is currently developing its own platform for electric vehicles. We will no longer be content only to do as the EQS53 also unveiled at the IAA in Munich.