New super-luxury German SUV, aiming directly at the current British hierarchy.
German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is looking to breach the ultra-premium SUV market very soon, as an Autocar report details the Stuttgart brand’s intentions to bring a high-riding SUV bearing the Maybach badge to market sometime in 2019.
This move is likely a result of the boom in ultra-premium SUV segment, with cars like the Bentley Bentayga and the improved Range Rover Autobiography range enjoying massive successes globally. Naturally, they don’t want to leave that lucrative pie untouched. With prices estimated to hover around $250,000, the new Maybach SUV will be based on the third-generation Mercedes-Benz GLS, and offer the same list of interior appointments as the wildly-successful Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.
The Mercedes-Maybach SUV will be looking at China, North America, and Russia as its most important markets, and will receive unique styling elements that were first seen in the Maybach 6 coupe, first seen at the Pebble Beach Concourse last year. It is expected to retain the same aluminium, high-strength steel and composite body panels as the upcoming GLS, but it will bear a different grille, unique head- and taillight graphics, more chrome, and unique wheel designs, lending it “a more noble appearance,” again drawing from the existing Mercedes-Maybach S-Class for inspiration.
Very few details can be uncovered regarding the layout go the new Mercedes-Maybach SUV, although there is strong suggestion that it’ll sit on an extended wheelbase, in order to offer the sort of commodious rear-cabin accommodation that this segment demands. The existing GLS’ wheelbase is slightly shorter than the competition, but there’s no telling if the next-generation car will boast an even longer wheelbase still.
The interior is expected to far exceed the appointments available on the proletariat-grade GLS, offering things like Maybach-unique digital instrument infotainment system graphics. This was confirmed to Autocar by a well-placed source. Power will likely come from Mercedes-Benz’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, going through a nine-speed automatic gearbox, before landing on all-four wheels. There are rumours going around of a 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 being mulled for a flagship model, but this has not been confirmed in any way.
The Maybach SUV plans are part of Mercedes-Benz’s plans to widen the Maybach lineup, after sales of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class exceeded 15,000 global sales since its market introduction in 2015. Other cars being considered include the new E-Class, which will likely be offered in an extended-wheelbase form, exclusively for China.
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