Mercedes-AMG Is Killing The Four-Cylinder C63

Hands down the most controversial AMG ever, the four-cylinder C63 is on its way out. After months of rumors about Mercedes planning to phase out the unloved electrified powertrain, the man calling the shots in Affalterbach has confirmed the four-cylinder’s impending demise. The sports sedan will live another day, but with a larger engine, no hybrid assistance, and a different name.

AMG CEO Michael Schiebe told Edmunds that the current C63 will make way for a pure gasoline setup featuring an inline-six. Engineers are shoehorning a turbocharged 3.0-liter engine into the bay, borrowing the “M256M” unit from the CLE 53. It produces 443 horsepower and 413 pound-feet (560 Newton-meters) of torque in the gorgeous coupe, though it’s too early to say whether those figures will increase for the new C53.

Even if a power bump is on the way, it’s hard to imagine the new setup matching the output of the outgoing C63. The plug-in hybrid system delivers a combined 671 hp and 752 lb-ft (1,020 Nm). That said, outright numbers don’t tell the whole story. Removing the hybrid hardware should significantly reduce the weight.

While the larger inline-six will weigh more than the “M139l” four-cylinder, the C53 should be lighter overall. In U.S. specification, the C63 tips the scales at a porky 4,817 pounds (2,185 kilograms). Logic suggests the GLC will follow the same formula, as it’s essentially a crossover version of the C63.

In an ironic twist, AMG’s boss told Edmunds that the 2.0-liter engine isn’t being retired because enthusiasts rejected downsizing. Instead, the small engine is being dropped because it’s “quite difficult” to adapt to the Euro 7 regulations, which come into force later this year.

The new C53 is expected to be based on the C-Class facelift due in 2026.

We first heard whispers of a six-cylinder AMG C-Class nearly a year ago, when German media cited Mercedes insiders about the engine change. At the time, we reached out to AMG, but the company declined to confirm the reports. As it turns out, the rumors were accurate, and engineers are indeed squeezing two extra cylinders into the engine bay.

Motor1’s Take: We never would have expected stricter emissions regulations to deliver good news for enthusiasts. Historically, it’s been the opposite, with downsizing hitting performance cars the hardest. The new C53 may not have a glorious V8, but a pure ICE setup with a six-cylinder should generate far more interest than the hugely complex four-cylinder hybrid system.

AMG has long defended the PHEV approach, with CEO Michael Schiebe calling it a “very, very progressive” setup. Mercedes Australia boss Jaime Cohen even suggested in a 2024 interview that buyers would eventually embrace the four-cylinder C63 the same way they came around to buttonless smartphones. With the electrified setup now headed for the exit, we’ll never know.

Although an eight-cylinder C63 isn’t happening, AMG has already confirmed it’s working on a new V8, so the future looks good.