It appears massive engines are becoming a rare breed due to environmental concerns and rising fuel prices. Downsizing is the latest trend in the ongoing search for efficiency. And now Mercedes has announced it will stop to develop and produce its own V12 engines.

But don’t worry. The Stuttgart based carmaker will task its AMG division with developing and building all future V12 engines. Nowadays AMG already builds the twelve-cylinder engines for the S65, SL65, CL65, G65, and the Pagani Huayra.

The next-generation Mercedes S600 ‒ scheduled for 2014 ‒ will be the first model to feature a top-of-the-line engine entirely created by Mercedes’ high-performance subsidiary. Details are scarce, but expect at least 600 horsepower and a staggering amount of torque.

[Via Autoweek]

Previous articleFirst Drive: KW iSuspension on Porsche 991 Carrera S
Next articleGumpert Files for Insolvency

15 COMMENTS

  1. This is a brilliant move on the part of Mercedes Benz IMO because ;

    1) It means that the much desired V12 stays in the line up ( take that Mr Sherif)
    2) It leaves the future development of the V12 in very capable hands ( AMG ) while freeing Mercedes up to pursue future power plant options
    3) It also means Pagani will have a continuing source of engines for their future cars .

    Any comments peanut gallery ? ;-) And a bit of wisdom to ‘ chew ‘ on for said peanut gallery ;

    ” The only difference between Truth and Fiction is that Fiction needs to make sense ”

    ( which in case that went over your heads implies … very accurately I might add that actual Truth ( and facts ) seldom do make much sense )

  2. @ urdrago – On what planet there good sir ? Oh wait . Do you mean AMG should be Purchasing a hybrid drivetrain like McLaren and Ferrari are doing ? ( BTW wingnut those are KERS systems Ferrari & McLaren are purchasing ….. for performance … not mpg / pollution etc )

    Why ? So like Ferrari and McLaren AMG can waste its money on compensating for all the extra weight incurred by a KERS system ? ( read Gordon Murray’s recent interviews for his views on KERS and hybrid )

    Get a clue son . Nobody needs KERS/Hybrid in their exotics and supercars . Its all marketing fluff and placebos for the ignorant masses

  3. @GS, lol…there ya go again ;), fiction could only make sense to those that play with strings and sing, but maybe you are only a back up guitarist and just follow the lead of those that sing that dont make sense..

  4. @GuitarSlinger I think i’m not the one questioning the planet I am living, for me the ones that cannot be discussed in terms of motorsport are Mclaren and Ferrari, well I’ve not discussed if the target was to be more performant or greener, but anyway from AM to Lamborghini, Nissan, Ferrari Mclaren… have concerns in terms of pollution, cause it afects to their mother companies or themselves like AM.
    Anyway, the batteries weight issue can ve solved by the use of supercapacitors, and the presence of electric motors justify itselves by the fact they can provide max torque at 0 RPM’s so this is not the place to discuss the benefits of electric drivetrain.

    Just, Keep in the wrong way of what is doing automotive industry my dear GuitarSlinger, and free us of your ignorance.

  5. I’m half with you GS on the anti electric cars. i dislike them and they are for poofs..

    But i do however understand Mr urdrago point of view after all there is nothing wrong with careing for our planet and will put you at a higher consciousness (higher intelligence) than not careing..

    I understand why human conciousness is wanting to go down that track, i also understand why human consciousness will likely take a turn away from that line of consciosuness and back to combustion engines but with (drops head) with gas, i dont really like gas powered cars but it has to go that way, when considering the law of cause and effect of perpetual motion.

  6. I was asked to add a little more and thats all it will be.

    Remember the kers system as it is a recovery system of energy, all things are energy all things includeing what comes out of your exhaust system, add in a recovery system of exhaust gases that is returned back to the fuel system with a bit of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and there is as good as you will get perpetual motion effect, as against the full electric engine, they are just not going to be economically viable for where we are headed in our world to keep them topped up.

    The Kers system is just to get our little minds consciousness line of thinking in the right direction.

    Mr GTspirit can you delete my post being this one under the gumpert one, brain fade posted wrong area.

  7. @pit Who says full electric engine will not be economically viable?, here is where the hydrogen comes, eventually it will be cheaper than gas and requires electric motors to work and eliminates the city pollution in most world cities.

  8. Thats a fair comment mr urdrago, and one i can not(ish) go into as why and how (complicated).

    There is no polution but just what is percieved as polution, this is where the law of opposite has the effect where what one was percieves as negative is actually a posative.

    This law does not involve everything as there is a zig zag effect where one rule will contradict another rule in another area only, never in the “same” area can a contradicion happen that i have come across anyway.

    It generates a flow effect so as to feed each other just like perpetual motion but i call it posative perpetual motion (im sure im not the first to call it that) as it has more posative flow effect than just sustaining itself.

    That could be explained like $1 purchase gives you your $1 value (sustaining itself), posative perpetual motion is that like $1 purchase gives you $2 or more value, you get more for what is put in.

    This is where the say’n Jesus turned water into wine (gives a line of thinking/direction) is used to the experienced Hermetics wo/man

    It’s complicated to explain but with a little understanding of why our world is the way it is today you can begin to understand. especially if you have understanding of why mentall illness exists.

    Whats your industrie your involved in maybe i can give you a line of thought/direction from there so as to give a better understanding.

    It’s the hardest thing in the world to do/explain or give an example for, but thought i would throw it out there anyway.

  9. Well in case of the pollution clearly diesel engines and gas engines generate pollution, while hydrogen generates harmless gases. That’s why most of the town houses in most busy streets have to be cleaned cause it turn black.

  10. Regarding to the power output of the kers that may be low in terms of quantity vs it’s weight, i would comment few things, the KERS you may know of the F1 is restricted by homologation rules, the real Kers is increasing their output and that power unrestricted is what we will see in F70 and P12.

    In addition to that I want to remember you the Electric motors give way faster the output torque than the gas engines, due to it’s nature, this may result in faster acceleration from 0, penalised as you say by the weight of electric motors and supercapacitors and… but 100 Hp separates Lambo aventador and MP412-C and 200 kilos, but still the lambo accelerates and performs the 1/4 mile, and 200 HP are the amount of Hp the kers provides:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaS7n6qKQe4

  11. Yeah im with ya on the kers thing it is good no doubt about it for being an additional power supply,i do like it, but i dont like and see no room to come for a full electric configuration.

  12. It’s far away, the batteries are not a efficient storage system, but I believe in the full electric configuration when it employs hydrogen as an storage system.

  13. Thats where the combustion engine will come in to it’s own shortly reutilise what it disperses to atmosphere.. being obviously the gases will be what is reutilised back through the combustion engine thats runs the engine..

    but then what ya got remember taking that away from the atomosphere you are takeing something away which has a positive effect (many only see the negatives), that also needs to be supplemented back into the system as well (will not be diffulcult to do).

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here