Mercedes-Benz is well known for its high-performance luxury cars with big engines. But times are changing, and even Mercedes has laid out a plan to go green in the near future. That said, one of the more immediate changes involves Mercedes-Benz canceling almost all of its V8 engine options — for a variety of reasons.

The many casualties of Mercedes-Benz’s V8 cancellation 

This recent move was a bit of a shock. Many Mercedes-Benz models with a V8 engine option are expected to be gone for the 2022 model year. It’s a long list, but some models were hit harder than others. For example, because many models have a V6 option, customers will still be able to get them with a V6, Autoweek reports.

However, other models have been essentially shut out of the lineup for 2022. For instance, Mercedes sells the iconic G-Wagen with only a V8 engine in the United States, but thanks to the V8 purge, stateside G-Wagen fans will have a hard time getting their hands on a 2022 model in America.

But it’s not a total loss. A few vehicles survived this V8 slash, and they’ll have a V8 available for 2022. In fact, it’s easier to talk about the models that survived the V8 purge than the ones that didn’t. In total, about eight cars will remain in Mercedes-Benz’s 2022 lineup with a V8 available.

The last 8 remaining V8 models in the Mercedes-Benz lineup

One of the least affected Mercedes-Benz models will be the S-Class. This is because the 2022 S-Class will have not only V6 options but also several V8s, The Drive reports. For example, the Maybach S 580 sedan, the regular S 580 sedan, the S 63 coupe, and the S 63 cabriolet will all still have access to a V8.

The other cars that won’t be affected are the C 63 sedan, the GLS 63, the AMG GT Coupe, and the SL 550 roadster. It’s safe to assume everything else in Mercedes-Benz’s lineup won’t offer a V8 for the 2022 model year.

That said, though Mercedes plans to retire its gas-powered engines in the near future, this was probably not a part of that plan. Mercedes-Benz temporarily purged V8s from its lineup for various reasons, but the big one was supply chain issues.

Yet another supply chain problem

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the world’s economy. And the semiconductor chip shortage was the big one for automakers. But other shortages are also affecting automakers. Indeed, that’s exactly what Mercedes-Benz said.

A company spokesperson told The Drive: “[Mercedes-Benz’s] prioritized focus to comply with various global, external and internal requirements, as well as several other factors, including but not limited to challenges in the supply chain, have an impact on the offering of the product portfolio in various markets.” 

However, that’s about all Mercedes-Benz has said about the current V8 situation so far. Many details about it are currently unavailable, but it should be a temporary issue like the chip shortage. In the meantime, Mercedes-Benz customers will have to be patient. Or they can opt for one of Mercedes-Benz’s EVs. For instance, the EQS is coming very soon.