Mercedes-Benz Reportedly Plans to Keep the V-12 Around for Years

Fans of the brand's 12-cylinder engine will be happy to hear it'll survive into the 2030s, though available markets remain murky.

• Mercedes-Benz is going to keep its V-12 around for at least the next decade.
• However, it's not clear what markets the engine will be available in.
• Mercedes currently only offers a V-12 in its most luxurious model, the Maybach S680.

To borrow a famously misquoted line from Mark Twain, reports of the demise of the V-12 engine have been greatly exaggerated. The flagship for combustion-engine smoothness and complexity was starting to be considered a bit of a dinosaur, staring at a weirdly ominous bright spot in the sky, but now it looks like manufacturers are no longer so keen to stop making it.

Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz chief technology officer, recently told U.K.-based Autocar that the company intends to keep providing V-12-powered machines well into the 2030s. Speaking at the Munich auto show, Schäfer declined to say whether V-12s would still be available in Europe or North America, but he didn't completely close the door on the idea either.

For the European market, new emissions laws set to arrive at the tail end of 2026 will signal a death knell for Mercedes's current V-12. As it stands, the only 12-cylinder model on the market wearing a three-pointed star is the Mercedes-Maybach S680.

Despite long being a luxury brand, Mercedes didn't build its first production road-going V-12 until 1991. Spurred by a rivalry with BMW, which launched a V-12 offering in the 7-series, Mercedes came out with the 12-cylinder S600. Later, as BMW provided the McLaren F1 with a high-performance 6.1-liter 12-pot, Mercedes upped the performance potential of its V-12, even fitting it in the wild 600-hp CLK GTR endurance racer.

Mercedes does have a new V-8 that is set to pass the upcoming emissions regulations, a performance-oriented offering likely to be found in an AMG-branded model. In the past, V-12s have topped the AMG range, but if a new V-12 is coming, it'll likely be for the Maybach brand. In the age of turbocharging and hybrid technology, 12-cylinder power is a luxurious anachronism, not unlike the movement of some expensive Swiss watch.

Italian supercar maker Pagani will doubtless be delighted to still have Mercedes V-12s to place in its carbon-fibre confections. For most Mercedes fans, however, the company's V-12 will be either rarely seen new or something vintage to be enjoyed in a modern classic (with a brave and/or mechanically minded owner). But, even in limited-availability form, we haven't heard the last of the V-12.