Mercedes-AMG has already announced that it was not interested in producing performance versions of the B-Class MPV or the all-electric EQC, despite its need to compete with the Jaguar I-Pace. Now, the company says it just might end up saying goodbye to three-quarters of its current lineup.
The emission standards grow stricter by the day, and the Affalterbach-based performance subdivision of Mercedes is seriously considering dropping the average CO2 footprint of its cars from the current 138 grams per kilometer to just 100 grams, which would necessitate putting most of its high-end sports cars out of production.
Preliminary estimations say that the German automaker may lose up to three quarters of its performance range, or otherwise cut the production rates by 75% to reduce the carbon footprint in this way. Failing this, it will face severe sanctions and substantial fines.
Rumor has it that the management of Mercedes-Benz mostly supports this move and gets ready to stop producing cars with large displacement room. To compensate for that, it plans to give all AMG models permanent AWD and hybrid powertrains.