The Mercedes C63 is getting the axe, but not for the reason you’d think
Just a few years since its launch in 2022, Mercedes-AMG’s controversial plug-in hybrid C63 looks to be getting the axe alongside numerous other models
It might have considerably more power than any model before it, but the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance didn’t receive the reception Affalterbach might have hoped for. Trading eight cylinders for four and augmenting them with plug-in hybrid power means it lacks the addictive character we’ve come to expect from the 63 badge, and gains a whole lot of weight in the process. Now, just three years since its launch, it seems it might be about to receive the axe.
From July 1 2026, a new regulation enforced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe will come into effect regarding the emission of sound in vehicles. German publication Elektroauto News revealed that in an internal document to its product planners, Mercedes-Benz said it would be discontinuing the Mercedes-AMG C43, GLC43 and GLA35 as a result, with final cars rolling off the line towards the end of February 2026.
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Ironically, the way this new policy works doesn’t seem to affect the few models it still sells with its lairy V8, but instead, only its four-cylinder AMG models. While the former are the entry-level AMG models most associated with four-cylinder power, 63-badged cars also now fall into that category. While they do have a little longer to go, with a production end set for May 2026, Mercedes-AMG is also set to discontinue the C63 S E Performance and GLC 63 S E Performance. Oddly, models like the GLA45 S appear to be untouched for now.
This news won’t come as much of a surprise to anyone aware of the low number Mercedes-AMG has sold since the C63’s launch, but the fact that it's due to noise emissions and not poor sales is something we didn't see coming. With a V8-powered CLE63 on the horizon, perhaps we’re about to receive the much-needed 63 model line overhaul sooner than we thought.
Replacements for these models will be announced in 'due course' according to the internal document. While adjustments to noise output might mean this happens sooner rather than later for 35 and 43-badged models, we have a feeling the C63 and GLC63 will be pulled from the market for good until they return with more cylinders…
We contacted Mercedes-Benz UK, but it declined to comment.
