Official: Mercedes-Benz details new variable-displacement V8 for SLK55 AMG

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Convertible , Performance , Technology , Mercedes-Benz Balancing power and economy is a tricky business, especially for Mercedes-Benz and its in-house performance division, AMG . On the one hand, a buyer’s conscience demands improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. But on the other, AMG knows what its customers really want is pure, unadulterated muscle. Eventually, that dichotomy is expected to amount to the exclusive use of turbochargers across the AMG range, allowing the German automaker to reduce displacement while increasing output

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Official: Mercedes-Benz details new variable-displacement V8 for SLK55 AMG

Report: V6, V8 engine popularity continued to fade in 2009

Filed under: Car Buying , Etc. , Technology Turning the past completely upside down, four cylinder engines marched up ten percent to further solidify the market dominance of lower cylinder count powertrains. According to Ward’s Automotive, nearly 62 percent of cars produced in 2009 carried four bangers, up ten percent in just a year from 2008′s 51.7 percent. Despite the V8 engine’s precipitous fall from a high of being fitted to 88 percent of all cars sold in 1969, there’s a sweet spot for the smaller powerplants, too

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Report: V6, V8 engine popularity continued to fade in 2009