Mercedes-Benz has completely transformed Maybach yet again.
From a stand-alone brand it revived in 1997 to compete with (VW’s) Bentley and (BMW’s) Rolls-Royce, Daimler has now turned Maybach into a high-end sub-brand, standing alongside AMG in transforming “ordinary” Benzes into even more desirable and expensive sets of wheels.
What started with the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class limousine has since begun to spread: first to the S650 Cabriolet and then to the G650 Landaulet – both highly exclusive and unabashedly expensive vehicles that are sure to have sold out almost as soon as they were announced.
So what’s next? Well, crystal balls don’t actually exist outside the realm of fairy tails, but we have a few ideas of what Mercedes could do next to make its luxury automobiles even more luxurious and sought-after than they already are.
S650 Sedan
Mercedes just revealed a facelifted version of its flagship S-Class sedan a couple of weeks ago at the Shanghai Motor Show. Included in the revised lineup is the Maybach version, and we predict it won’t be long before that model gets a new engine as well: specifically the engine that’s already featured in the S650 Cabriolet and G650 Landaulet.
The 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 is hand-built by AMG in Affalterbach (the experiment of moving engine production off-site hasn’t panned out) with 621 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque – and is the same mill you’d find in the AMG S65, G65, and SL65.
SL650 Roadster
If you’ve been paying close attention, you may have noticed that the only vehicle in the Mercedes range that uses that twin-turbo V12 but hasn’t yet been Maybach-ized yet is the SL. A pillar parallel to the G-Class and S-Class at the top of the Mercedes lineup, the SL would be a natural candidate for the Maybach treatment.
It would, however, be the first time that Maybach produce a two-seater, so we wouldn’t call breaking precedent a foregone conclusion just yet. It would make a fitting send-off, though, for the current R231-generation model revealed in 2011 before it’s replaced by an altogether different model – one which could be even more prime for the Maybach badge.
S650 Coupe
With the S-Class sedan and cabrio both having already joined the Maybach lineup, the next logical candidate would be the coupe. Fortunately the ingredients are all there – it’d just be a matter of the powers-that-be at Daimler to decide on pulling the proverbial trigger.
The decision could come down to a limited edition (like the drop-top) or regular production (like the saloon), and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the latter follow the former if the manufacturer sees enough demand. (Same goes for the cabriolet, for that matter.) It could be time, after all, for the Bentley Continental GT and Rolls-Royce Wraith to see a little competition from Stuttgart.
Landaulet
While the industry today seems to be constantly inventing new automotive bodystyles, we can credit Maybach with reaching back into the history books to revive one that had long since been all but completely forgotten. That would be the oddball anomaly known as the Landaulet. Essentially a half-convertible, landaulets feature fixed roofs over the front seats and folding mechanisms over the rear – good for parades, and (practically speaking) not much else.
Daimler revived the style for a limited-production version of the long-wheelbase Maybach 62, producing just eight of them, each priced at $1.35 million – or nearly three times the price of the fixed-roof version. It also applied the style more recently to the Mercedes-Maybach G650, and we wouldn’t rule out the prospect of the format returning for an exclusive version of the S-Class sedan (likely the stretched Pullman version) in the near future.
GLS
Long rumored to be in the works, a Maybach version of the GLS crossover could be just around the corner to challenge the Bentley Bentayga and forthcoming Rolls-Royce Cullinan. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it lose the third row of seating in favor of a pair of first-class seats and plenty of legroom to go with it – which could make it especially popular in the vital emerging luxury markets of the Middle and Far East.
The biggest question left in our minds is what engine would power the thing. Available to date with either a V6 or V8, we don’t know if the V12 would even fit or not – but Daimler could simplify the process and just go with the eight. After all, the Maybach S-Class sedan offers a V8 (with all-wheel drive) as an alternative to the big twelve.
Sprinter
A van? Yes, a van. Discerning (and well-heeled) customers are increasingly turning to big vans as their chosen mode of luxurious transportation – especially for long distances – and that point is not lost on Mercedes. The Sprinter has proven particularly popular for these aftermarket conversions, and the new V-Class is following its lead.
But why should Daimler watch the retrofitters make all the money luxing up its vans when it could do so itself, and charge an arm and a leg for the privilege? The major concern might come down to cheapening the brand, but the brand’s image is being reshaped as it goes. And as the old saying goes, money talks. So if the money’s there, don’t be shocked to see Daimler reach out and take it.
Is That All?
If the formula proves a success for Mercedes, it could dig deeper into its existing lineup for more models to turn into Maybachs. The prospect of a stretched E-Class has been mooted for the Chinese market especially, but so far has yet to materialize.
The next-generation CLS is expected to move up-market to make room for a new CLE underneath, and the flagship four-door coupe could be in line for the Maybach treatment as well. If there’s enough demand, Daimler could green-light additional S650 Cabriolets, and with a new G-Class around the corner, we might see a Maybach version of that as well.
Less likely (but not to be ruled out entirely) is the possibility of a Maybach-fettled Smart Fortwo. It’s a strategy that Aston Martin tried (and ultimately abandoned) with the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet, but a luxed-up Smart could, in theory, offer Maybach owners a nimble city car smaller but no less luxurious than the limousines they’d sooner leave outside the downtown core of increasingly congested metropolitan areas.
The prospect we find truly intriguing, though, is that of a halo car like the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept or the Exelero showcased back in the day. Mercedes has been known to make some eminently powerful grand tourers, and that could be just what it needs to set the sub-brand apart.