The recently revealed 2027 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class has many of the styling and technology updates of its less imposing Benz sibling, but the automaker will carry one feature of the old one into the future. Despite the new, flat-plane V8 that produces a healthy 530 horsepower and 553 pound-feet, the big flagship will continue to offer a big Mercedes V12 in its most expensive specification – although you'll have to live in some specific markets if you want to order it. A Complex International Affair The new V8 will show up in the US-market Mercedes-Maybach S 580, but sitting above it will be the S 680 model, which will retain a carryover, twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12. Fittingly given its status in the lineup, the old mill still outperforms the new V8, with an utterly unstressed 621 hp and 664 lb-ft wafting from the turbine-smooth motor toward all four wheels. But despite its mellow character and pack-a-punch output, the V12 will be discontinued in most of its markets when the 2027 Maybach S-Class arrives in dealers. Mercedes-BenzPer reporting by Motor1, it will be hard to coax the 12-cylinder into passing the forthcoming Euro 7 emissions standard, meaning Mercedes will cease production for countries in the European Union, as well as Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland – countries not in the EU but which nonetheless uphold similar vehicle standards. Furthermore, the automaker will also cease V12 exports into India and most other international markets, although it will still show up in China, South Korea, the Middle East, and of course, the US. Maintaining Some Twelve-Cylinder Prestige Those markets especially value cylinder count over such matters as power density or efficiency. That could be part of the reason Mercedes will continue to offer its top sedan with the somewhat dated V12, which debuted 14 years ago in the SL 65 AMG roadster. Furthermore, the Maybach brand has a long history with 12-cylinder engines dating back to its roots in the automobile industry – the 1928 Zeppelin, named after the imposing airships of the same name, was the world's second-ever V12-powered car and the first V12 auto engine produced by Germany. MaybachEven after the company stopped producing automobiles shortly before the start of World War II, its motor engineering division continued cranking out V12s, including for Panzer and Tiger tanks for the German army during the war. Following its end, Maybach's industrial division pivoted to V12- and V16-powered railway cars and ships in the 1950s and 1960s. Then, when the Maybach brand was reintroduced in 2003 as a German rival for Rolls-Royce, V12s were a foregone conclusion. Even after it became a sub-brand for its parent company, Mercedes-Maybach vehicles still continued to offer the proud engine layout on everything from the S-Class sedan to the G-Class landaulet.Although rivals like Bentley, BMW, and Audi have been moving away from 12-cylinder engines, Maybach and Rolls-Royce are holding the fort. Although we're sure there's an expiration date for most V12s in this era of downsizing and hybridization, we're glad to see that Mercedes' highest echelon of S-Class sedans will continue to offer the imperious motor for at least another few years.
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