AMG GT 63 S E Performance

Segment
Hatchback

Things are changing fast in the auto industry. The transition to battery-electric vehicles is happening as we speak. Automakers are announcing their intention to drop internal combustion engines in favor of the new powertrain technology. It won't happen overnight, but change is coming. Mercedes-Benz, like others, currently sells plug-in hybrid models, which serve as sort of a stop-gap measure between combustion engines and EVs. However, the German automaker's PHEVs are also on borrowed time.

Germany's Handelsblatt reports that Mercedes has already ended the development of PHEV platforms. A top company official confirmed this at last week's Munich Motor Show. Starting in 2025, it'll be only EV architectures.

We can't say this comes as a surprise, but it's still sad to hear because PHEVs can offer incredible performance combined with solid fuel efficiency. The latest example: the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GT 63 S E Performance 4-Door Coupe. Packing a combined total of 843 horsepower and up to 1,084 lb-ft of torque, this four-door beast is officially now an endangered species.

For a time, many fairly assumed the AMG high-performance division was going to shift its focus to PHEVs but clearly that will no longer be happenings. Battery-electrics are the future. It's been decided. The just-revealed 2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS is just the beginning.

Mercedes itself announced this past summer that beginning in 2030, it'll only offer electric vehicles in key markets like North America, Europe, and Japan. Other regions will follow suit at later dates. Mercedes is also abandoning the manual transmission, though this is not surprising because EVs don't require traditional transmissions, manual or automatic. Instead, they utilize single-speed units and multi-speed transmissions are expected shortly.

Above all, Mercedes and AMG are committed to performance and driving pleasure. Just because the powertrain is changing doesn't mean both can't be achieved. Quite the opposite. Mercedes and other automakers have come to view EVs as a whole new era with endless possibilities.