By 2020, Mercedes-AMG vehicles will be embracing hybrid power wholeheartedly, according to its head of R&D, Thomas Weber. Speaking to Autocar UK, Weber says that Mercedes will be looking into incorporating its current hybrid powertrain technology into the high performance AMG stable.
Weber believes that in a world where there is increasing pressure to reduce CO2 outputs across the board, hybrid technology remains the most effective method to achieve this objective.
"Every car line has to reduce fuel consumption, even AMG," said Weber. He acknowledges that it is a huge task for AMG to reduce fuel consumption across its model range, but it's also a huge opportunity to make truly better cars.
Daimler, Mercedes' parent company, is aiming for a target of 101 g/km of CO2 by 2020, as per the latest CO2 weighted emissions regime in the EU. Apparently, 95% of the company's overall European sales volume will need to adhere to this ruling, but by 2021, if the company misses the target on all its cars, Daimler will have to fork out a significant amount to pay potentially huge fines.
Weber is unsure if AMG customers will ever be ready for a hybrid performance. As from what he has gauged from the demographic, most of AMG customers want the highest performance with no compromises. "We haven't done it so far, because right now the customer wouldn't buy it," Weber said.
Nonetheless, he is adamant that by 2020, it could be necessary to introduce an AMG hybrid. "In our development department, we are already planning for the time when we will have to offer them something special," he added.
Weber thinks that a light, cheap and simple e-boost solution set-up, that is similar to Mercedes' current Bluetec Hybrid, with a small motor and battery, is a viable option that can be considered. "It could help us to add power and regenerate energy by braking, and we have an advantage as it's already in large volume production," he elaborated.
