V12s are big, thirsty brutes and they make monster torque in a variety of Mercedes-AMG products. But they are not long for this earth. At least we’ll have the memories.
Mercedes-Benz will stop using V12 engines in its Mercedes-AMG -65 line, Automotive News reports, citing a conversation with AMG head honcho Tobias Moers at the 2018 New York Auto Show.
The reasoning is pretty simple — the times, they are a-changin’. “There is still demand for a V12, but if you move forward with a V12 in the future, the investment will be too high, in my perspective,” Moers told AN. “You have to increase power, and you have to move forward with the technology in that engine.” He said that the company’s money is better spent on electrified V8s.
Smell ya later.
Mercedes-Benz
Right now, Mercedes-AMG offers V12 variants of the S-Class sedan, SL-Class roadster and the outgoing generation of G-Class SUV. The recently redesigned Geländewagen will not have a -65 AMG variant. The future of the SL remains unclear, and the S-Class will likely carry its V12 until it’s redesigned around 2020.
Once AMG’s -65 vehicles are phased out, they will only exist in the Mercedes-Maybach sub-brand, which builds the automaker’s largest, most luxurious vehicles. Right now, the only Mercedes to receive the Maybach treatment is the S-Class sedan, but that could change, as rumor has it that a Maybach variant of the GLS-Class SUV is in the works to compete against the likes of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Automakers have slowly left the V12 by the wayside as technology moves forward and power output improves in V8s and other, smaller engines. Ferrari is a notable holdout, retaining the V12 in two vehicles, the 812 Superfast and GTC4Lusso.
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