Mercedes-AMG To Slowly Phase Out V12

Mercedes-AMG will slowly phase out its range-topping V12 engines as the German marque only sees a future for such powertrains in its luxury vehicles.

Speaking with Automotive News at the New York Auto Show, Mercedes-AMG chief executive Tobias Moers said the AMG brand will stop using the V12 when it phases out its range of 65 vehicles. This will leave vehicles from the Mercedes-Maybach range as the brand’s only models offered with 12 cylinders.

“There is still demand for a V-12, but if you move forward with a V-12 in the future, the investment will be too high, in my perspective.

“You have to increase power, and you have to move forward with the technology in that engine. We’d better invest our money into electrified V-8 vehicles,” Moers said.

Mercedes-AMG has already started to kill off its ’65’ line of vehicles. The new Mercedes-Benz G-Class, for example, will no longer be offered in 65 guise. Additionally, reports suggest that the Mercedes-AMG SL 65 could be killed in the coming months.

Moers also revealed that the next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class won’t get an S65 derivative.