When Mercedes-Benz unveiled its AMG S 65 Final Edition sedan this spring, we believed the ‘final’ part to be a way of saying goodbye to the marque’s last twelve-cylinder engine. As it turns out now, however, the V12 is not quite gone yet.
Speaking at the 2019 Auto Guangzhou, Daimler AG Chairman of the Board of Management Ola Källenius said the corporation wanted to keep the V12 available for select high-end models. He did not specify whether the company planned to continue using the current design or develop a new one based on its hugely successful 4.0 V8 mill.
Everything seems to indicate that all AMG performance cars will be capped at V8s from now on. The next S-Class (see the gallery and video) is the likeliest candidate for the V12, but anything below it – including even the new Mercedes-Maybach GLS – will likely ship with eight cylinders at most. The company has emphasized a few times that the GLS SUV series performs perfectly well with the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 under the hood, and any expansion of the engine range that may occur in the nearest future would be directed downwards, into the high-end V6 territory.