AMG Doubles Down On Electricity, Ignoring Devout Fan Base
AMG’s CEO wants to “better explain” tech to customers who want a V8, but got a 4-cylinder hybrid in the C63 AMG instead.
Big engine, small car. Have fun, roast tires. It’s a very simple formula, and one that AMG has followed from almost the very beginning. It followed that formula quite well until recently. Now it seems they have steered so far off course that there’s no return.
Michael Shiebe, Mercedes AMG’s CEO, has said “it’s important to be open-minded when it comes to technology.” That article with AutoCar seems to hint at Shiebe’s fervent excitement to shift away from the things that makes AMG unique in the automotive market. Doubling down on words that don’t match actions, Shiebe continued, “at AMG we are a technology brand, and we don’t want to say it’s only the V8 and we’ll do that forever.”
Emissions excuses are not really holding water. If they were, the AMG GT would be powered by the 4 cylinder. If the 4 cylinder is better performance packaging, it would also be in the flagship. But it isn’t. It seems as though Shiebe can’t read the room. In fact, it almost seems like he doesn’t want to according to AutoBlog. Why read the room when you can give the room a total makeover. “We should have explained the technology more to our salespeople and customers. We will continue to do that and further improve.”
He’s not joking around either. Now you don’t get any piston power at all. According to Car and Driver, AMG’s new AMG GT XX concept is set to be all-electric and take cars like the Taycan. Excuse the use of opinion here, but the GT XX is far from pleasing to look at. Not that AMG models have been the most handsome things out there, but at least they didn’t look like they belongs on a sea-food menu.
Like a kid caught in a lie, Mercedes doubles down on the excuses. Shiebe must have been giving gaslighting lessons to Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener. Even though this thing is purely electric, the tail lights “evoke the quad exhaust tips seen on AMG gas models,” according to Wagner. There’s six tail lights. Make it make sense.
Photos: AutoBlog
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