Mercedes-Benz is, it has already confirmed, making an all-electric shift that will lead to a gas-engine-free lineup by 2030. There could be one exception within the company, however. The AMG division could still offer a V8-powered model after the year 2030.
As to whether that will actually be the case, much could depend on public demand.
Joerg Bartels, the vice president of vehicle development at Mercedes-Benz, recently said this to Australian outlet CarSales:
“In the end, it has to fulfill our overall CO2 strategy, and we have a clear path on that one: being CO2-neutral at the end of the 2030s, by 2039. And, from 2030 we want to be pure electric. But, if there's still a customer demand [for gasoline-powered V8s] in some regions, and it's still part of our offering, why should we stop it?”
- Joerg Bartels, VP, vehicle development at Mercedes-Benz
He added that it's hard to predict the adoption rate of electric vehicles in any given market, because it can vary from place to place depending on regulations and incentives in place. Europe’s reality is not the same as South America’s, for example.
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In Europe, the strict Euro 7 standards coming into effect by the end of 2025 will make it non-viable financially to sell models that are not electrified. However, even in this context, Joerg Bartels explains that it is too early to assume the V8 engine will be gone in the near-future. According to him, it is the customer base that will dictate this.
“Some customers will still demand six or eight cylinders. You can find technical solutions for every request and every regulation, but sometimes it's combined with higher costs and the customers are not always willing to pay for it,” he said.
In North America, where several jurisdictions have indicated that the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles will be banned by 2035, it's hard to see the V8 engine surviving at AMG. However, current research on synthetic fuels could lead to the option of keeping the combustion engine alive. Many corners of the auto industry are working on this at present, especially Porsche. Mercedes-Benz is keeping a close eye on progress on that front, but has not committed to the technology for the time being.
Stay tuned, then. What seems obvious is that we can expect a mix of strategies among manufacturers and in different parts of the globe.