It may have built an electric car that can drive around the world, but Mercedes-Benz isn’t going to let the V8 and V12 engines die.
Speaking at the Munich Motor Show this week, Mercedes’ Chief Technical Officer Markus Schäfer told the media that the German giant will “continue to offer V12s” despite the incoming new ‘Euro7’ emissions laws. They will come into effect from the end of 2026, requiring car makers to further reduce emissions and likely forcing more hybrids.
Mercedes-AMG is working on a hybrid-assisted twin-turbo V8 engine for a range of new models, including the expected CLE C63 Coupe. Mercedes currently only uses the V12 in the Maybach S680 but had previously offered multiple models with the big engine, including the S-Class and SL convertible.
“We have invested quite a lot to update the entire portfolio,” Schäfer told Autocar. “On top, we have created a new V8 that has almost finished EU7 compliance. It is a high-performance V8; it’s brand new.”
Despite impending laws that could potentially ban internal combustion engines in key markets, Mercedes is adamant that there will be other markets, most likely the Middle East, that will still have demand for high-performance V8 and V12 engines well into the next decade.
“Of course, in the US, in Europe, the regulation is that you cannot sell combustion engines any more from 2035, and we have to comply with that,” Mercedes-AMG chief Michael Schiebe told Autocar.
“But there are other markets at the moment [where] I don’t expect them to have such a regulation in place. So we could still continue to sell those engines there in those markets as long as customer demand continues.”
Mercedes-AMG introduced an F1-inspired four-cylinder turbocharged plug-in hybrid powertrain for the C63 and GLC63 models, but after a lukewarm response from the market it appears to be preparing to upsize its engines in its hero models again.
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