Mercedes Will Keep Large Displacement Motors For Now, Conceds A Hybrid Future

Mercedes-AMG, which forged its reputation by stuffing big-power engines into all manner of Mercedes-Benz vehicles — the most recent being the all-new 2014 CLA45 AMG introduced at the recent 2013 New York Auto Show — isn't planning to stray too far from the formula any time soon. But mirroring the latest trend in supercar power plants, AMG will be fitting hybrid powertrains to some models as the global trend toward getting more from less inevitably continues.

Just before AMG unveiled the 355-horsepower CLA45 AMG — that's 355 horses from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder — Edmunds talked with Mercedes-AMG Chairman Ola Källenius about what the auto industry's rapidly evolving push toward environmental solutions means for AMG, whose wares are targeted at anything but the fuel-sipping customer.