There’s life in the V8 and V12 yet! Big Mercedes engines will sail through Euro 7 emissions tests
German giant is confident its line-up of ICE engines, including much loved V8 and V12, will have no problem dealing with incoming regulations
Mercedes has confirmed that its entire ICE portfolio is ready for the tough Euro 7 emissions regulations due in 2027. This includes four-cylinder, six-cylinder, V8 and V12 engines, and is particularly impressive when you consider that the Euro 7 rules are the strictest to date.
Speaking with Auto Express at the launch of the new CLA, Mercedes’ head of engineering Markus Schäfer said: “Our whole portfolio is ready for EU 7 regulations. We were very lucky that only five years ago, we introduced a whole new family of four and six-cylinder engines, so the process of adapting them for Euro 7 is not very complicated.
“When we were developing these engines, we knew that in 2026 or 2027 there would be these new regulations, so we designed them with that in mind, [and] this is why it’s been a relatively straightforward task.”
The V8 and V12 engines are less likely to be quite so easy, though, as AMG has confirmed that a heavily revised version of the iconic 4.0-litre V8 will be reintroduced in the CLE 63 coupé later this year.
Details of what specific changes this will entail are still vague, but the new variant of this iconic engine will feature mild-hybridisation, plus a flat-plane crank is likely to be included to help keep a lid on emissions.
How Mercedes will ensure its V12 engine complies with the regulations is less certain, but the higher prices it commands allow for more expensive solutions to help keep the unit viable.
Ironically, it’s smaller and less expensive cars that are most liable to be taken off sale, as the cost of converting ICE engines to be Euro 7 compliant is too expensive to be absorbed into the purchase price. Hybridisation can help, but this is also an expensive addition to most vehicles at the lower end of the range.
However, in this case Mercedes is still covered with its new generation of four-cylinder engines, including a 1.5-litre variant that’s being launched alongside the new CLA and its MMA-underpinned siblings in future.
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