Re:Caveat Emptor (Score 1)

Cadillac had this in the late '70s or early '80s. They called it the "V8-6-4" engine. At highway cruising, it would shut down four cylinders to save fuel, then turn them back on again as necessary for more power (at least that was what it was supposed to do). Turned out to be a complete disaster. Maybe it was just an idea ahead of its time - simply beyond the engineering of the day (although GM engineering wasn't a real bright spot for them at the time). I believe you are correct that Mercedes is working on a newer version of this.