Mercedes-AMG dropping V12 engine

The V8 will live on.

Mercedes-AMG has started phasing out the V12 engine from its line-up.

The firm has already dropped the V12-powered variants of the G-Class and the SL from its portfolio. The only AMG-badged, V12-powered cars left are the sedan, coupe, and convertible versions of the S65 (pictured). They'll retire without a successor.

"We are going to move the S65 out of our portfolio," confirmed AMG boss Tobias Moers in an interview with Australian website GoAuto.

Moving forward, AMG's range-topping models will use a V8-electric powertrain that the firm's engineers are currently developing. Previewed by the 2017 GT concept, the 805-horsepower setup consisted of a twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 and a powerful electric motor. Moers previously confirmed that "everything is in development" and that the specs will be "more or less" the same.

Moers said it's difficult to predict when (or if) Mercedes will need to phase out the V8 in the name of pollution regulations. The current 4.0-liter unit that powers a wide number of cars ranging from the GT to the G-Class will stick around in the foreseeable future, however, and teaming it with electric motors could extend its life.

"In combination with an electrified powertrain, it could be a longer life cycle than what everybody thinks," he said. "I am not so confident with having a 10-year plan and strategy because the world we live in is too fast. You have to adjust your strategy and your targets almost every year - half a year," he added.