Having given the S63 and C63 a charging port, Mercedes will do the same for the E63. Before that happens, the AMG Lite E-Class is also going to be electrified considering this E53 has a fuel cap on the left side. On the regular E-Class PHEV models such as the E400e, owners juice up the battery pack from that spot. Our spies caught a partially camouflaged prototype of what is known in Germany as the T-Modell (wagon) testing in AMG guise.
Unlike BMW with its shouty M Performance and M cars, Mercedes-AMG prefers a more subtle design. It does have quad exhaust tips and a Panamericana grille, but we’d argue the styling remains fairly restrained overall. This long-roof E53 is sitting closer to the road courtesy of a stiffer suspension setup and is presumably hiding AMG branding on those red brake calipers.
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The German luxury brand didn’t bother to hide the enlarged front air intakes while the disguise applied over the rear diffuser isn’t doing a good job since we can see the design in full. We’re frankly still getting used to those three-pointed stars embedded into the taillights. Ironically, Mercedes removed its badges from the body and wheels in a failed attempt to conceal the car’s identity.
As to what powers the prototype, an educated guess is that AMG has installed an inline-six underneath the hood. Considering the new CLE has a 3.0-liter engine in the CLE 450 4Matic model, it wouldn’t make sense to put a 2.0-liter, four-pot in the new E53. Unconfirmed reports state the new base AMG variant of the E-Class will inherit the electrified setup from the S580e, good for 510 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque.
Further down the line, the hotter E63 is likely going to be a PHEV based around an inline-six, but with a lot more power since it’ll have to top the 671-hp C63 S E Performance.
The E53 sedan and wagon should debut first, likely before the end of the year or early 2024, with the full-fat E63s arriving slightly thereafter. Mercedes is also working on CLE63 Coupe and Convertible models.