Mercedes has made a long-term commitment to a 6-liter twin-turbocharged twin-turbocharged V12 engine, but will only sell in select markets where emission regulations are not too strict.
Currently, Mercedes' V12 engine block is installed on the Maybach S-Class S680 model and the special edition S-Class Guard steel case. Mercedes-owned AMG also supplies a V12 engine to the Pagani brand, mounted on the company's Utopia supercar line.
Thus, Mercedes is the only brand among German luxury car manufacturers to keep a 12-cylinder engine in its product portfolio. BMW launched the M760i in 2022, with the limited edition Final Edition exclusively for the US market as the last model to use this engine. For Audi, the W12 engine on the A8 model was killed in 2017. The current A8 generation was planned to be equipped with a 6-liter W12 engine when launched, but the company has changed its decision.
In addition, the V8 engine will also be kept intact. AMG said that the unit is developing a new generation high-tech V8 electrified engine for future models, using the AMG.EA platform. The new V8 engine design was developed to meet future Euro 7 regulations, so it will not be banned from sale in 27 countries of the European Union.
Mercedes said that it has developed a 48V high-tech 48V 4-cylinder engine, launched in March 2025 on the new CLA model, with a 1.5-liter engine and an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Mercedes expects charging hybrids and pure electric vehicles to account for only 30% of its total sales in 2027. The rest will be internal combustion engine vehicles, many of which have 48V electrification technology. The company previously planned to switch to producing completely electric vehicles when market conditions allowed, but sales figures show that it is very difficult for Mercedes to achieve this goal.
