Can Plasma Tech help to extend AMG’s ‘last V8’?

Mercedes-AMG has confirmed that a 4.0-liter unit is intended to return to a revitalized C63, as a flat surface, mild-hybrid V8. Speaking with PH in the Nardo Technical Center earlier this week, Felix Siggemann, Exec manager for Comms, suggested that the engine would be effectively new thanks to its new configurations and the use of 48-Volte electrification. It is clear that we can expect that it also sounds different, and – crucial for Euro 7 Regs – lowers its emissions to the point of holiness.

“The V8 could be the last V8 that we ever make, so we want to make sure that it is future -proof to go through the EURO 7 evolutions,” he said, referring to the upcoming emission standard, which will be in force in November 2026, just over eight years before the ban on the ban on new Petrol and Diesel cars comes into force. “We want to be sure [the engine’s] I have a long development curve. So when it is launched, it won’t be much more powerful than what came earlier. ”

Although that suggests that the new engine will not dramatically exceed the 510 hp peak of the old Twin -Turbo V8 that has driven the previous C63 – and which in 2022 from the production bow – he would still have to feel so muscular. The decision of AMG to switch to a crankshaft with a flat flat was driven by the necessary introduction of mild-hybrid technology, which not only helps cut CO2, but also the natural loss of low-down muscle caused by the switch of the cross surface of its predecessors.

With the mild hybrid 48-volt setup there to stimulate the lower rev couple, the new 4.0-liter engine can benefit from the higher revising nature of its crank with flat surface, which means that it must have a peak power with higher revs than the 6,250 rpm of the old V8. It should ensure a more elastic birth, with a higher tone to start and one that needs much less synthesized help than the 680 hp four-cylinder hybrid C 63 SE performance …

“The general development goal [for the new V8] is om te voldoen aan Euro 7 en genoeg van een prestatiebuffer te hebben om het te blijven evolueren, terwijl je bij de 4,0 -liter architectuur blijft, ”dacht Siggemann. Dat suggereert dat AMG verwacht dat de V8 de V8 op gang brengt voor verschillende levenscycli na de verwachte lancering van 2026 – maar voor het om dat te doen, zal de nieuwe motor waarschijnlijk bolsteren in de weg naar de weg naar de weg naar de weg naar de weg naar The road to the road to the road to the way the regulation shoes are tightened.

One of the new innovations that can help its long-term plans is the new Plasma-Actuator-Aerodynamic technology developed by AMG to make its performance cars smoother through the air. Never before mounted on a full-size car in a wind tunnel, let alone the road, the plasma actuators are compact devices that are under aerodynamically important regions of bodywork, influence the air flow by ionizing (ie electronic charging) the air and forcing the current to change speed and direction, such as an invisible fan in the wind.

During PH at the recent AMG GT XX event, Merkaerodynamic engineer Philipp Dorr noted that the technology of his team was not used on the record-breaking concept car of AMG because “the effects are limited above 200 KMPHP [124mph]”But these hidden devices and their invisible influences on the air flow are particularly useful for routes speeds, which means that body shapes that give priority to usability or aesthetics can be made with the push of aerodynamically efficient.

“The best of all is that the actuators are not massively energy demanding, with only 50 to 150 watts needed to supply a meter of actuator influenced air flow with power,” Dorr said, showing the effects on a model rear wing. “They enable designers to get the shape of the car they want, even if it is not as aerodynamically efficient as it should be.”

It is not surprising that Plasma Actuator Tech is developed by AMG with electric cars in mind. But if the 1,000 KW-compatible GT XX and its five-minute loading time show, EVs may not need much longer the full attention of aerodynamicists. Conversely, in a world where combustion restrictions will probably rise before the end, it can very well prove that for cars such as the incoming C63, such technology is essential.