Mercedes to Return the V12 in the 2021 S-Class

Good News

The CEO of Daimler, Ola Kallenius, recently confirmed in an interview with GTspirit that the V12 engine will be making a comeback in the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. This comes as a relief. The S65 Final Edition had marked the end of the engine after being launched for the last time at the Geneva Motor Show in March this year. Turns out the engine isn't dead after all.  

Photos Courtesy of Motor1. 

Improvements

The current electrification wave in the automotive industry has motivated automakers to turn to smaller engines and cars. A lot of them are letting go of large and complicated engines like the V12. Considering that Mercedes isn't letting go if theirs, we expect AMG to find ways of improving its fuel economy and emissions. This is after Europe set stringent emission standards for automakers. 

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More Power

We also expect an upgrade to the engine's power and torque. The Last Edition S65 produces 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. 

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Assumptions

These are just but assumptions as Ola Kallenius did not dive into details while speaking at the recently held Guangzhou Auto Show in China. The next V12 could end up being a new development altogether or an upgrade to its previous version. Nevertheless, the engineers have found ways of making it more efficient and environmentally friendly. 

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Retired in AMG Models

The recent announcement shouldn't come as a surprise because last year, AMG's boss, Tobias Moers, spoke to Road and Track about the possibility of retiring the V12. This, however, would only happen in AMG-branded models. This leaves the Maybach and Benz models, which are expected to keep the engine going.  

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Not in the Maybach GLS 600

As for the recently released Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600, Ola Kallenius confirmed that it will not carry a V12. There is, however, an option of it getting a variant with a lesser 6-cylinder engine. The automaker decided to start with the 4.0-liter V8 from AMG since to them, it fits the SUV well. 

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Official Announcement

The official announcement for the next-generation Mercedes S-Class will be announced in 2020. We'll just have to wait and see what the automaker has in store for us outside of the engine bay. 

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