Mercedes AMG Boss: The horsepower wars are over
Mercedes' performance divisions says it will focus on weight reduction and engine optimization to boost performance
By Alex Ricciuti
January 15, 2009 5:16 PM
Filed Under: German, Mercedes-Benz, Supercars
"The horsepower war is over," declares Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz's performance division AMG.
AMG says that it will now focus on a lower emissions strategy for all future models. Mornhinweg says the tuner will pursue technologies that create improved performance and economy by reducing curb weight and optimizing engines and transmissions.
As an example, Mornhinweg announced that the new Mercedes E63 AMG, set to make its debut later this year, will be lighter than the previous model and will come with a manual "wet-clutch" gearbox for better fuel economy.
Mornhinweg says that the company is looking to produce a smaller model too. Musing that the tuner was looking to take on the upcoming Mercedes A Class and turn it into an AMG coupe in a performance version of Mercedes-Benz's entry-level model.
AMG, according to Mornhinweg, is also looking at diesels, hybrids and 4-cylinder gasoline engines to introduced into its high-performance Mercedes-Benz variants.
So, AMG is going green and unilaterally invoking a cease-fire on the horsepower wars. Now, someone should tell BMW and Audi.
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Comments
AMG should have thought about reduction earlier anyway. BMW started way before them.
I'd be disgusted to see a 5.9L V-12 hybrid. in a S65 AMG...
But a A-Class "coupe" AMG would be pretty sick. I'd like to see some photos of that!
Now this is Audi's time to shine. even though they're degrading things such as the S4 to a V6...
But I fully support diesel AMG's, M's, and RS's. Terrific. Just throw in twin-turbos and superchargers everywhere! that's the ultimate solution lol
No they haven't. When the 1.8t was in its glory days (it was introduced about a decade ago, yea, its been that long) it was competing against BMW's 2.5l inline-6. Clearly the 1.8t was the better engine - 2 less cylinders, same HP, better fuel economy.
As you moved up in the model and engine range, the 1.8t was not a factor as audi and VW relied on the VR6. This is where BMW was ahead, as the 3.0L inline 6 in the M3 is still one of the best engines ever produced.
Today it is the same thing. Audi relies on the 2.0tFSI for their base models - which is a better offering than BMW. Again, similar HP, smaller engine, better fuel efficiency. As you move up the range audi offers a 2.0t with higher output and a 3.2l VR6. Finally though, audi can compete with the M3 as the new S4 uses a supercharged inline 6. Although is has lower HP, it provides only marginally lower performance numbers, but with MUCH better fuel economy.
And btw, Audi has already stopped the horsepower wars; the b8 S4 has already ditched the 4.2 V8 for a 3.0 supercharged v6. Better fuel efficiency and more usable power. Good for BMW finally figuring out how to use turbos...Audi has been doing it for years.
But back the AMG's...I thought that there was a one off A Class AMG that they made with the first generation A-Class. And there was also the C30 AMG with an in-line 5 cylinder diesel in the W203 body style...my friend has one! So it wouldn't be the first time AMG has tinkered with the diesel engine. Diesels make the perfect sense to use as a performance base because most of them are turbo-diesels. Brabus already has tuning kits for Merc diesels that manipulate the ECU to produce decent upgrade in performance. I'm really looking forward to these newer cars that they are talking about building!
But having owned several AMG sedans in the past...I have come to the conclusion that no matter what...it is still a heavy saloon...there are things that the law of physics have against them (center of gravity, weight, drag) that deter them from being what I want in a performance car...
Just save the money and buy a normal saloon for a family car and buy a nice lightweight roadster...even if it doesn't have the hp or straigt-line speed of those monster saloons...I'll be having more fun!
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Imagine my disappointment...
Seriously, there are much greater things to focus on than sheer horsepower. Performance car drivers now expect much more from less power and with lower weight, bringing the coincidental benefits of lower fuel consumption and smaller emmissions. Add the global financial crisis to the mix and high powered luxo-barges seem increasingly flawed.