Mercedes-Benz’s apocalyptic, 12-cylinder G65 AMG will arrive Stateside in 2016

By Stephen Edelstein September 3, 2014

You would think the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG and its twin-turbocharged V8 would be enough to fulfill people’s post-apocalyptic fantasies, but it’s about to be trumped.

The V12-powered G65 AMG has been on sale outside the U.S. since 2012, denying buyers an extra four cylinders’ worth of German performance. However, that will change soon.

Automotive News (sub. required) reports that the G65 AMG will arrive on this side of the Atlantic as a 2016 model.

It should be worth the wait. This converted military vehicle packs the same 6.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V12 used in the S65 AMG. In the G-Class, it produces 612 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque.

Related: Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 revealed

Connected to a seven-speed automatic transmission, it will get the nearly 6,000-pound G65 to 62 mph from a standstill in 5.3 seconds and on to a (limited) top speed of 143 mph.

Yet the G65 retains the beefy four-wheel drive system used in other G-Class models, so it’s just as capable of negotiating the Rubicon Trail as it is of winning a stoplight drag race.

All of that capability doesn’t come cheap though. The 2016 G65 AMG is expected to cost around $250,000 when it arrives in U.S. showrooms, likely sometime next year.

Mercedes is planning a major overhaul for the G-Class, so it’s unclear whether the G65 AMG we get in the U.S. will be based on the current version, or will be part of the revamped lineup. Stay tuned for more details.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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Front three quarter view of the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV.

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The Maybach name has great historical significance for Mercedes. Wilhelm Maybach was one of the earliest automotive engineers. He designed the first Mercedes-branded car for the Daimler company (now Daimler-Benz), but struck out on his own after a falling out with company management. His eponymous company built Zeppelin engines, luxury cars, and, during World War II, engines for German military vehicles.
Daimler-Benz took control of Maybach in the 1960s, but left the passenger-car business dormant. Mercedes then revived the Maybach name in the early 2000s as a competitor to the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, both of which are owned by rival German automakers. Given Wilhelm Maybach's history with Mercedes, it essentially brought things full circle.
The 21st-century Maybach brand started out with standalone models in the form of the Maybach 57 and Maybach 62 sedans (as well as the stunning Exelero prototype), but production ended in 2012 amid dwindling sales. Mercedes then switched to making Maybach-branded versions of existing models like the S-Class sedan and GLS-Class SUV, a pattern that continues with the Maybach EQS SUV.

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Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

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Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
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