Emissions Regulations Are Killing the V-12

Last year, Alex Long, Aston Martin’s Director of Product Strategy, spoke the simple truth about what enthusiasts really want—big engines. The bigger the powertrain, the better it creates a “true emotional connection” between the driver and the car. But time is running out for these “dinosaurs” of the automotive industry. Even though the Vanquish has a new V-12, the harsh reality is that the twin-turbo 5.2-liter powerhouse won’t live past 2030.

Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark told Drive magazine that a constant supply of the venerable V-12 will end by late 2028. Ultimately, the large-displacement gas engine will die around 2030. Although the Gaydon-based supercar maker is actively tweaking its flagship ICE to meet emissions regulations, the end is inevitable, and there’s not much Aston Martin can do to save it.

The company does have some leeway by getting derogations on low-volume products in some parts of the world. Even so, provided regulations stay the same in the next years, Aston Martin projects it will likely sell its last V-12 car in just five years from now. In the meantime, it comes as no surprise that Hallmark says customers are “absolutely” drawn to the new Vanquish and its monstrous 820-horsepower heart. Just imagine how much more oomph the engineers would’ve been able to extract had it not been for tougher emissions regulations.

Sadly, the V-12 is an endangered species, with only a few automakers still cramming twelve cylinders under the hoods of their cars. Ferrari puts a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter unit in the 12Cilindri and Purosangue, while Lamborghini does the same in the Revuelto. You can still get a Mercedes S-Class with a twin-turbo 6.0-liter V-12 as long as you step up to the fancier Maybach version. The AMG division supplies a differently tuned twin-turbo 6.0-liter V-12 to the Pagani Utopia.

BMW hasn’t sold a V-12 7 Series for several years, but a variation of its engine lives on in the Rolls-Royce Ghost, Cullinan, and Phantom. Niche brand Gordon Murray Automotive deserves an honorable mention, but the T.33 and T.50, with their naturally aspirated Cosworth 4.0-liter engines, are long sold out. Speaking of Cosworth-powered V-12 cars you can’t buy anymore, there’s Aston Martin’s own radical Valkyrie.

During the same interview, Hallmark said we’re witnessing the “final push” for V-12s in the automotive industry, as buyers seek to own the “pinnacle of powertrains.”