The next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class will keep the V12 alive

Mercedes-Benz announced it has extended the V12 engine’s lease on life. While AMG’s variant of the S-Class lost its 12-cylinder in early 2019, the Stuttgart-based company’s chief executive confirmed its next flagship sedan tentatively due out in 2020 will again offer buyers a V12.

Daimler boss Ola Källenius confirmed the next S-Class will get a V12 option during a recent interview with GT Spirit. He stopped short of confirming technical details, like its displacement and its horsepower output, but the website believes the engine will be an updated version of the mighty, 6.0-liter unit currently available in the Maybach-badged S650. It makes 621 horsepower and 731 pound-feet of torque in its current state of tune, though both figures could rise for the next-generation model.

What remains to be seen is whether the regular S-Class will be available with a V12, or if the engine will be reserved for the even more luxurious Maybach model. AMG has already stated it’s done peddling 12-cylinders, and it quietly introduced the S65 Final Edition to send off the engine.

Downsizing remains very much a part of the Mercedes product plan. In China, the market that justifies Maybach’s continued existence, buyers have the option of skirting taxes on high-displacement engines by configuring the S-Class with a 362-horsepower straight-six engine. Källenius said it’s possible Maybach’s recently-unveiled variant of the GLS will get a six-cylinder, too, though the odds of seeing it in the United States are slim to none. The updated V12 that will be available in the next S-Class won’t join the V8 on the GLS’ palette of engine options, however.

“We have no plans for a Maybach GLS V12,” he affirmed.