Amid an ever-tightening emissions net globally, BMW isn’t interested in replacing its sonorous V8 engines with more potent six-cylinder hybrid powertrains.
That’s the claim from BMW’s head of development, Frank Weber, who told Automotive News the auto brand won’t follow its German arch-rival Mercedes-Benz in ditching V8s for higher-performance engines with fewer cylinders.
“V8s are here to stay. There are markets such as the US and Middle East where you cannot replace V8s with inline-six hybrids,” Mr Weber said in a wide-ranging interview.
“This is not about performance. They are comparable in terms of acceleration, but customers like the smoothness, sound and feeling of a V8. We will continue to offer V8s.”
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BMW M5
BMW’s current lineup of V8-powered models in Australia includes the M5, M8, XM, X5, X6 and X7, though overseas you can also get a bent-eight in the 7 Series and 8 Series.
The brand’s latest V8 – dubbed the S68 – is a 4.4-litre twin-turbo engine, adopting mild-hybrid assistance to help it meet the latest Euro 6d emissions standard.
In the M5 and XM it’s also part of a plug-in hybrid system, further increasing its performance potential without producing any more emissions.
While Mr Weber’s comments suggest BMW’s commitment to V8s is dependent on regional emissions regulations, it’s likely Australia will continue to get these engines well into the future, given this market’s demand for high-performance vehicles and its less stringent emissions standards compared to Europe.
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S68 V8 engine
Though there are undoubtedly limitations around the type of engines that BMW can employ in its future models due to tightening emissions standards globally, Mr Weber’s commitment to V8s on the basis of emotional appeal rubs more salt into the wound for Mercedes-Benz fans who are being subjected to a reduction in cylinder count.
In 2021, Mercedes-AMG announced the new C63 sports sedan – traditionally available with a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre, then a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 – would move to a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol-based plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Though the electrified C63 S E Performance is capable of producing up to 500kW and 1020Nm – up on its 375kW/750Nm V8-powered predecessor – it weighs almost 400kg more, and the petrol engine itself only makes 350kW/545Nm.
Mercedes-AMG boss Michael Schiebe – who succeeded Tobias Moers in March 2023 – admitted to the UK’s Car magazine last month that the switch has led to an exodus of long-standing C63 customers, but said he thought criticism of the vehicle was unwarranted.
“We see that some of our very loyal customers struggle a bit with the concept. Of course, no doubt we have also lost some customers who are just into V8s,” Mr Schiebe told Car.
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Mercedes-AMG was criticised for swapping the C63’s V8 for a four-cylinder PHEV powertrain -
A 2023 report by US publication Car & Driver claimed a new V8-powered C63 would debut in 2026, but shortly afterwards this was shot down by an unnamed Mercedes-AMG employee who told Auto Motor und Sport: “This is pure nonsense”.
The C63 isn’t the only AMG model to lose its V8, with the next-generation E63 set to move to a turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine, also with PHEV tech.
C63 competitors such as the BMW M3 and Audi RS4 continue to be powered by twin-turbo six-cylinder engines – a 3.0-litre straight-six and 2.9-litre V6 respectively, although the latter replaced a 4.2-litre V8 in its previous generation – while the E63’s BMW M5 and Audi RS6 rivals have gone down different paths while keeping their V8s.
However, the M5 hasn’t been immune from criticism, with the new PHEV version tipping the scales at 2435kg, a massive 540kg gain compared to the previous-generation M5 Competition.
MORE: Mercedes-AMG admits it lost customers with four-cylinder hybrid C63
