However, the tech will not be eliminated overnight.
Mercedes-Benz plans to introduce electric vehicles platforms starting in 2025. This is in an effort to accelerate the transition towards zero-emission models by the end the decade. This would be a difficult task and the sedans as well as the wagons may be affected by the transition. However, Mercedes will stop using plug-in hybrids.
Daimler executives stated that they won’t be developing new plug-in hybrid powertrains during the ongoing IAA Mobility conference in Munich. Existing powertrains, including those in the Mercedes AMG GT 63 E Performance 4-Door Coupe, will continue to be used in current and future products. However, no money will go into next-generation PHEV systems.
Markus Schafer, a Daimler board member who is responsible for research-and-development, stated that no new developments were planned. He spoke to Germany’s Handelsblatt newspaper from Munich. “The investments have already been made. We are now using them.”
Many automakers, including Mercedes considered the plug-in hybrid technology transitional until battery technology reached a certain level of development. Mercedes announced in September 2019 that it was stopping the development of new gasoline engines. In 2020, it was clear that the company would retire its manual gearbox.
It was announced in July that the Mercedes-Benz range would be exclusively electric from 2030 for markets in Europe, North America and Japan. However, models with conventional engines will continue to be available in other regions.
This announcement could mean that the hybridized AMG GT 63 S E may remain a rare breed. The AMG performance division will likely focus on fully-electric vehicles in the near future, rather than hybrids.