No surprises here are Mercedes-Benz announced that the 2011 S63 AMG would be equipped with a hand-built 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged direct-injection V8. The new V8 pumps out 571 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque between 2,250 and 5,500 rpm when equipped with the AMG Performance package– which ups the boost to 1.3 bar from 1.0– and 544 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque without it. The new S-class produces numbers which are only slightly higher than the 2011 CL63 AMG while using the same motor.

The new motor is, like the CL63, hooked up to the seven-speed AMG Speedshift MCT transmission. The Speedshift MCT is an automatic transmission that substitutes a torque converter with a wet start-up clutch.

Start / stop technology, second-gear starts and a kinetic energy recovery system that charges the battery are but a handful of ways Mercedes is trying to green-up its performance arm, AMG.

Mercedes estimates 0-100 km/h (62 mph) times of 4.5 seconds without the AMG Performance package and 4.4 seconds with.

More photos after the jump.