Mercedes-AMG C 63 four-cylinder engine to be discontinued

The current Mercedes-AMG C 63 has had a difficult ‘life’. Its sales performance has fallen well short of that achieved by its predecessors, and the engine under its bonnet appears to be the reason.

Although it is considerably more powerful - rising from 510 hp to 680 hp - customers and enthusiasts have been wary because it replaced the previous 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with an engine half the size and with half as many cylinders: a 2.0-litre inline-four incorporated into a plug-in hybrid system.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 four-cylinder engine to be discontinued

Now, three years after its launch, the four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG C 63 is set to be discontinued. Ironically, the marque attributes the decision to a new United Nations Economic Commission for Europe regulation covering vehicle noise emissions, rather than to weaker-than-expected sales.

The information was reported by German publication Elektroauto News, citing an internal document sent to product planning managers. It states that several AMG models will be withdrawn as early as February 2026: the C 43, GLC 43 and GLA 35.

The C 63 S E-Performance and GLC 63 S E-Performance, which use the same powertrain, will follow later, in May 2026. As you may have noticed, every model listed uses the same four-cylinder M 139 engine.

V8 AMG models avoid the new noise rules

Curiously, the V8-powered AMG models - renowned for their thunderous soundtrack - have escaped the reach of this new regulation.

Likewise, models such as the A45 S and GLA 45 S show no indication that they will be affected by the rules. According to the document seen by the German publication, replacement models will be announced “in due course”.

There is still light at the end of the tunnel

Amid all this, whether regulations are the driving force or not, the current Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E-Performance will make way for a new… C 63 S E-Performance.

The team in Affalterbach has listened to its customers, and the next C 63 promises a higher cylinder count. It will not be a V8, as many would have hoped, because that would require significant structural changes, according to the brand. Instead, it will use an inline-six expected to be borrowed from the current E 53 E-Performance, while retaining a plug-in hybrid system.

For those who cannot do without an AMG V8, there is still hope: the future CLE 63 is expected to roar to the beat of a V8. Read on for more details:

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