Mercedes-AMG C63 brand’s most important model

MERCEDES-AMG’S recent success in Australia has been in no small part thanks to the C63 range, which the company credits as being the most important model line in the ever-expanding AMG range of performance vehicles.

Speaking to GoAuto at the launch of the updated C63 S range at Mount Panorama last weekend, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific head of media relations and product communications Jerry Stamoulis said the V8 bruiser had long been the focal point of the Affalterbach skunkworks’ portfolio.

“Without a doubt it is the most important car (in the AMG range) and it has been since its 2008 launch for that brand,” he said.

“And it’s actually a brand within the AMG brand, it’s so strong. So C63 – it’s not so much about the volume of the cars, it’s what it stands for.

“It’s got the character, it’s got noise, it’s got the look, and that’s a formula that’s worked over the years.”

The original C63 arrived Down Under in March 2008 as a replacement for the C55, featuring a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 sending 336kW/600Nm to the rear wheels – a significant lift over the 270kW in the supercharged 5.4-litre C55.

Continuing a legacy started by the 1987 190E 3.2 and 1993 C36 – the first fully fledged AMG offering – the current C63 S cranks out an imposing 375kW/700Nm from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

The current C-Class AMG range is offered in four different body styles – sedan, wagon, coupe and convertible – and is also offered in a less potent 43 AMG tune, which employs a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 pumping out 270kW and 520Nm.

Since launching in 2008, Mercedes-AMG sales have gone from strength to strength, with its percentage of overall sales growing to as much as 20 per cent in 2018 on the back of a steadily expanding portfolio that introduced the E53 and CLS53 in 2018, and will debut the entry-level A35 nameplate later this year.

During recent years the high-performance C-Class has repeatedly been one of the brand’s best sellers, consistently finishing in the top three for the brand.

Overall AMG sales numbers have also climbed every year except for 2018, a changeover year for the C63 and the end of the current A45’s lifecycle.

The C63 is also a valuable model for Mercedes-AMG due to its strong customer retention, which Mr Stamoulis said was greater than any other model in the range.

“If there’s any model within the AMG range that retains a customer, it’s the C63,” he said.

When asked why, Mr Stamoulis said: “It’s the sweet spot in the range in Australia. It’s rear-wheel drive, it’s V8, it’s got that emotional effect, you can get it as a sedan, a coupe, a cabrio or even a wagon.

“So it doesn’t matter who you are, if you love performance, there’s a C63 for you.”