Mercedes-Benz announced some shuffling of executives today. It's due in part to the company's current Chief Technology Officer Markus Schäfer retiring. His position will be filled by Jörg Burzer, who is leaving his position on a board that manages production, quality, and supply chain matters. Moving into that position is Michael Schiebe. This is where things get more interesting, because Schiebe is leaving his position as the CEO of the AMG division, as well as the Top End Vehicle Group.
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Who's taking the top AMG spot? Well, no one at the moment. Mercedes said the new head "will be announced at a later date." It's hard to tell from that statement if the company already has someone ready to take over, but not ready to be announced, or if it's actively looking for a new person to take over. Whoever ends up taking over will be leading the division at an interesting time.
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Schiebe Wasn't At AMG Long
Schiebe took over the big chair at AMG back in March of 2023, so he only led the division for a little more than two years. However, he has been at Mercedes in some capacity since 2004. He actually took over AMG just a little bit after the launch of the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance, which hasn't gone over well. He even admitted switching the four-cylinder model lost them some customers. Since he took over, though, AMG V8s seem to have been granted a stay of execution. The division announced new eight-cylinder engines coming down the pipeline earlier this year.
It hasn't neglected the electric side of the business either. The AMG GT XX concept showcases all the new technology that will show up in future electric AMG vehicles, allowing for massive driving speeds as well as charging speeds. The 850-kW charging capabilities claimed are the best we've seen outside of BYD.
Schiebe also left us with an interesting quote about how he sees AMG. He once described the brand as Batman, rather than Superman. He also said that, "We want to be the dangerous son-in-law."
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The Future Of AMG Will Be Interesting
Like many other car companies, AMG will be trying to navigate how to balance different powertrains. With electric demand not increasing as expected, and some governments considering loosening emissions requirements, there's room to keep combustion models around. Schiebe already oversaw some of that backtracking with the announcement of future V8s. He even stated that, at least for the U.S., the V8 had no clear end point. We're further expecting the next AMG CLE to get one of the new V8s.
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Of course, at the same time, neither AMG nor Mercedes can afford to neglect EV development with Chinese automakers constantly pushing the technology. Clearly with the new platform from the GT XX, the brand is in a good position for the near future, but it likely can't rest on its laurels. Whoever takes over from Schiebe will certainly be busy making sure AMG can balance the desires of today's customers with the demands of the future.
