The flagship 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL will no longer feature a traditional V12 engine. According to international reports, Mercedes-Benz will first finish off the Mercedes-Benz SL 600 model later this year and then end the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG next year.

Reports suggest one of the reasons for this is because Mercedes-Benz is preparing the all-new 2013 SL-Class. The new range will not feature a V12-powered variant. Instead, Mercedes and AMG are said to be focusing on further development of smaller capacity V8 engines, such as the 4.7-litre and 5.5-litre twin-turbo units currently powering the CL-Class.

These smaller engines are much more fuel efficient compared with the big V12s, and could potentially offer similar performance to the S-Class convertible. The current SL 65 AMG offers 450kW and 1000Nm of torque, attached to an average fuel consumption rating of 15.1L/100km. On the other hand, the current Mercedes-Benz CL 63 AMG 5.5-litre twin-turbo unit offers 400kW and 800Nm, with an average fuel consumption rating of just 10.6L/100km.

Another reason Mercedes-Benz could be phasing the big 12-cylinder variants is due to the possibility they could be clashing sales with the recently introduced Mercedes-Benz SLS convertible and coupe. These two cars fall into the same market segment as the SL65 and SL 600, offering a large grand touring layout with around 400kW of power.