According to Automotive News, the vehicle will be based on Mercedes-Benz’s new third-generation GLS platform and have an expected price of around US$200,000.
It will debut in China sometime this year with a 560-horsepower V8.
If AMG is the performance arm of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach is the ultra-luxury arm, with most vehicles featuring over-the-top features that rival some upscale hotel rooms.
Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dietmar Exler said the “halo car” would build the Mercedes brand by adding Maybach luxury options to existing models, just as AMG has done.“We’ll logically extend it where it makes sense—I cannot imagine you will have a Maybach A-Class,” he explained. “But on the top luxury cars, to have the [Maybach] luxury edition makes a whole lot of sense for us.”
Mercedes-Benz say SUV sales are on the rise with younger crowds, and hope the addition of the ultra-luxurious Maybach will be a hit with the “ultra-high-net-worth kids.” The current sedans the brand makes are more popular with an older demographic.
The extremely luxurious vehicle will be built in Vance, Alabama, where Mercedes-Benz started in the U.S. by building just one model, the M-Class SUV. Currently, the plant is getting set up to build the next GLS, on which the Maybach will be based.
The plant will also receive a US$1-billion upgrade to prepare the factory for the production of the brand’s upcoming electric vehicle lineup.
The only rival for the Maybach in North America, when it comes to price, is the US$400,000 Ford GT supercar assembled in Markham, Ontario, Canada by Multimatic; however, the volume the facility turns out is only about 250 per year.
