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The Maybach name is to make a return, just two years after Mercedes-Benz dropped its luxury brand.
A top-end luxury version of the S-Class, to go on sale in 2015, will be known as the Mercedes-Maybach S 600.
Maybach, a pre Second World War manufacturer of luxury cars, was revived in 2002 by Mercedes-then parent brand Daimler-Chrysler.
The new Maybach was intended to be a standalone luxury brand competing directly with the likes of Rolls-Royce.
DaimlerChrysler predicted that Maybach would produce around 2,000 annual sales of its 57 and 62 models, but in the event the brand only sold 3,000 cars in 10 years before Mercedes axed it in 2013.
Now it’s back as a sub-brand within the Mercedes portfolio, targeting the customers of the Rolls-Royce brand owned by BMW, Mercedes’ direct rival.
The new Mercedes-Maybach S 600 was simultaneously unveiled on 19th November at motor shows in Los Angeles, USA and Guangzhou in China.
It is based on the long-wheelbase S-Class saloon with its wheelbase further extended by 200mm to 3,365mm, the car’s overall length growing to 5,453mm.
Despite the extra length the Maybach version’s rear doors are 66mm shorter than on the long-wheelbase S-Class, allowing the designers to relocate the triangular portion of the rear windows into the rear pillars and mount the seats further back from the doors to add extra privacy and exclusivity for occupants.
Each rear-seat passenger will also have individual executive seats with backrest and cushion adjustment, bespoke climate control systems and a voice amplification system to ease communication with the car’s driver.
Also in the Maybach is the ‘First-Class rear suite’, a centre console with a pair of fold-out aircraft-style tables complete with leather inserts on their upper surfaces, and thermo cup holders that can cool or warm drinks.
Mercedes intends that the Maybach models will be the ultimate in luxury and in addition to wood and hand-stitched leather trim the premium details include chrome-plated speaker grilles and fibre-optic lighting in the armrests.
The S600 is powered by an AMG-built 530PS 6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine driving through a 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission. It offers 0-62mph times of 5.0 seconds and an electronically limited 155mph terminal speed while returning 31.7mpg combined-cycle fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of 207g/km.
The S 600 will go on sale in February and will initially be the only Maybach model sold in the UK. A customer will be able to order it through any Mercedes dealer, at a price that will be revealed in December and is predicted to be from around £155,000.
Further models are expected to join the sub-brand’s line-up later, while Mercedes also sees major prospects in the far-east, particularly China. Specifically for these markets a lower-powered S 500 model will be offered powered by a 450bhp V8 biturbo engine. It will include a 9G-Tronic nine-speed auto gearbox while all-wheel-drive will also be available.
Andrew Charman
