Sedan Shape on an SUV Scale: Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury
Even as luxury brands rush headlong to roll out SUVs, there is an inherent contradiction between their tall stance and rugged looks and what those brands have historically represented. With the Vision Ultimate Luxury, which makes its debut at the Beijing auto show this week, Mercedes-Maybach is taking a different approach.
The literally named concept is based on an SUV platform-that of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz GLS-class-but shuns the tall-station-wagon shape that defines the SUV segment. Instead, the designers chose a sedanlike notchback body style. The unusually proportioned result is tall, with a massive front grille, bulging wheel arches, and 24-inch turbine-style wheels on 285/40 rubber.
The designers split the glass roof and rear window with a body-color vertical line, perhaps a nod to the Bugatti Atlantic. A three-pointed star graces the hood, while the Maybach name is spelled out underneath, at the top of the grille. The six-window side-glass treatment echoes that of the Mercedes-Maybach S-class and also the long-wheelbase E-class. Massive chrome strips surround the side windows, and the head- and taillights feature triple lighting units on each side, likely previewing future Maybach models.
The interior, particularly, endeavors to live up to its Ultimate Luxury billing. The four individual seats feature exquisite stitching and are covered in white leather, and there is an abundance of accents in ebony wood, rose gold, and aluminum. A custom tea service is included, which retracts into a special compartment in the center console.
The Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury wouldn't be a concept in the spirit of the decade if it were powered by anything other than a fully electric drivetrain. And so it features four electric motors, which drive all four wheels and are claimed to make 738 horsepower. Daimler says the car is governed at 155 mph, presumably to protect passengers from the whir of four maxed-out electric motors.
It is almost certain that the next-generation Mercedes-Benz GLS-class will get a Mercedes-Maybach–branded version, probably arriving around 2020 or 2021. What is far less certain, however, is whether it will come in the unusual shape of this concept, which seems tailored specifically for the China market.
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