Mercedes-AMG appears ready to admit what many enthusiasts have been saying for a while now. The future of Affalterbach performance may include electrification, clever hybrid systems, and high-output smaller engines, but the emotional center of AMG still beats loudest with eight cylinders. According to reporting from Car Magazine referenced by Motor1, AMG CEO Michael Scheibe confirmed that a new V8 engine will arrive at the end of this year, first in SUVs before spreading into passenger cars.

That matters because AMG’s recent push into downsized performance has not landed with every buyer. The current C63’s turbocharged four-cylinder plug-in hybrid is technically impressive, but it never quite replaced the character people associated with the old V8-powered C63s. Car and Driver has also reported that AMG plans to phase out the four-cylinder C63 and replace it with a new C53 using a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, a move that suggests Mercedes is recalibrating its performance lineup around what customers actually want, not just what looks good on an engineering chart.

The new V8 is expected to sit higher in the AMG food chain rather than trickling down to every performance model. Think larger SUVs, flagship coupes, serious GT variants, and possibly future high-performance E-Class models aimed at rivals like the BMW M5 and Audi RS6. Motor1 points out that the engine may be related to the M177 Evo flat-plane-crank 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that has already appeared in the updated 2027 S-Class, where it produces 530 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque before AMG gets its hands on it. Road & Track’s coverage of the 2027 S-Class notes that this engine was engineered to rev more freely and deliver stronger response, which sounds like a very promising starting point for Affalterbach.

This also ties neatly into the ultra-limited AMG CLE story we recently covered here at Automotive Addicts. In our earlier post, we reported on the rumored Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 Mythos model, which is expected to use V8 power and deliver a reported 646 horsepower while being limited to just 30 units worldwide. With AMG now openly talking about a new V8 arriving this year, that rumor feels less like wishful thinking and more like part of a broader strategy to bring drama and desirability back to the top end of the lineup.

What is interesting is that AMG does not seem to be abandoning hybrids altogether. Scheibe has indicated that plug-in hybrid performance still makes sense in certain markets, especially where emissions regulations are tighter. Models like the GLE 53 and E53 should continue to play that role. Still, the boss also acknowledged that the extra battery hardware can add a lot of weight, and in some cases a lighter V8-only setup may simply be the better performance answer. That is the kind of thinking AMG fans have been waiting to hear.

The bigger picture is simple. AMG is not turning back the clock completely, but it is bringing back some of the soul that helped make the brand famous. A new generation of V8-powered SUVs, coupes, and halo cars gives Mercedes-AMG a stronger emotional hook at a time when many performance brands are struggling to balance regulations, electrification, and customer passion. For buyers who feared AMG’s V8 soundtrack was fading into history, this feels like the first real sign that Affalterbach is listening again.