It is not quite over, yet, for AMG’s 4-litre engines.

The sunset of AMG’s V8 engines might be a long one.

Although many expect the next generation of hybridized AMGs to mostly use a 2-litre four-cylinder internal combustion architecture, the company’s boss believes there is a role left for the V8 to play.

AMG has invested heavily in building most of its brand equity around the sound signature of its large-capacity V8 engines. The current 4-litre V8 might be the final block and subassembly for AMG’s V8s, but its lifecycle could be longer than anticipated.

The new GT 63 S E-Performance has shown what hybridization can do in terms of emission control and power when applied to AMG’s 4-litre turbocharged V8.

AMG boss, Philipp Scheimer, admitted to Road&Track, that demand for its V8s remain healthy. In an interview, he mentioned that many customers are still ordering V8s and he estimated that demand would remain strong enough for about another ten years.

German performance car model lines are facing a challenging transition. In the pressure to electrify, power is not the issue – but noise is.

AMG created a specification customer expectation with its large 6.2-litre atmospheric V8s and has crafted exhaust systems and valving, to replicate that acoustic, as engines have downsized and become turbocharged.

Industry analysts predict rapid electrification of the premium car market, especially in Europe and part of North America. Not to mention, China. Those are all vital AMG markets.

The Middle East could remain an outlier and one geography where preference is given to V8s, even if they are hydridized.

With AMG’s boss predicting a ten-year production cycle for the current 4-litre V8, Mercedes-Benz’s performance division could be an exception. With AMG providing V8 vehicles way past the deadline for Audi and BMW, having possibly retired their own.

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