Concept Vehicles

What You Need to Know: Mercedes-Maybach

Mercedes-Maybach stands for ultimate luxury in its most cutting-edge guise

Words Paul Davidson
August 01, 2018
Mercedes-Maybach stands for ultimate luxury in its most cutting-edge guise
Words Paul Davidson August 01, 2018

Brand aestheticsMercedes-Maybach stands for ultimate luxury in its most cutting-edge guise. The brand’s style is embodied in sublime beauty, supreme aesthetics and elegance. Something very special is showcased for one sublime moment. This is not about wallowing in the past, but about forward-looking enhancement and refinement. The atmosphere is warm, light and airy. This is also underscored by the use of light colours, which symbolise the luxury of room and space. Black elements forge a link with Mercedes-Benz and allow precious metals to add a sublime shine. The chosen materials feature a deliberate interplay of the familiar and the innovative, exclusively crafted throughout. Ultimate precision and a loving attention to detail are demonstrated by graphic elements which are derived from the brand logo.

Exterior design: Pinstripe radiator grille, expressive wheel rims

The exterior conveys expressiveness and superior quality. Characteristic features include the radiator grille, the long wheelbase, a specific rim design and the use of chrome as design elements.

The Mercedes-Maybach radiator grille

The chrome-plated radiator grille with its fine vertical bars defines the front view. The vertical bars become slightly thicker towards to the top. The design was inspired by an elegant pinstripe suit. The Maybach lettering places the brand in the spotlight. The radiator grille rests on two aerodynamically shaped supports on the outer right and left of the bumper.

Long wheelbase, expressive rim design

The extremely long wheelbase of the Mercedes-Maybach models enables a luxuriously spacious passenger compartment which benefits the rear passengers in particular. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class outstretches the flagship of the Mercedes-Benz model range – the long-wheelbase S-Class Saloon – by 20 centimetres. The exterior appearance is rounded off by expressive 20-inch wheels in multi-spoke or 20-hole design.

Striking chrome highlights

The choice of materials demonstrates the sublime beauty and perfection which are hallmarks of the brand. Chrome highlights feature above all in the bottom air intakes of the bumpers. The chrome-plated window frame is additionally emphasized by the chromed B-pillar. The C-pillars on either side sport the traditional Mercedes-Maybach logo in the form of a double-M in a curved triangle. Maybach lettering additionally adorns the boot lid. The chrome applications deployed at the front are continued in the rear area, emphasising high quality and elegance.

Interior design: Spaciousness, supreme exclusivity The interior of Mercedes-Maybach vehicles offers a spacious and relaxing setting boasting the ultimate in seating comfort and prestigious designm with diverse scope for individualisation.

Spacious interior, particularly for rear passengers

The long wheelbase of the Mercedes-Maybach vehicles offers crucial advantages for their passengers, who enjoy a maximum of space. This makes travelling in a Mercedes-Maybach a particularly prestigious experience and the pinnacle of comfort – with superlative legroom and maximum comfort when boarding and alighting.

Outstanding seating comfort

The ultimate luxury experience derives in no small way from the First Class seats, which are exclusive to Mercedes-Maybach. The seats with their projecting calf supports in the rear of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class offer special adjustment kinematics for added comfort, for example. The backrest is adjusted separately, which means that the legroom and seat reference point remain unchanged. The maximum backrest angle is 43.5 degrees. The most upright backrest position of 19 degrees allows relaxed working in the rear. The individual seats can be ventilated and heated separately from one another. Select materials and an exclusive leather trim package are also available.

Prestigious design with diverse scope for individualisation

Mercedes-Maybach vehicles surround their passengers with specific architecture, fine materials and a clearly designed interior. Including hand-stitched door trims, appointments in exclusive highlight colours and diverse high-quality details such as copper-, gold- or platinum-coloured topstitching. Individualisation plays a major role here: five more exclusive equipment and design lines were added to the range of interior options for the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class in 2018, for example.

UI/UX: The ultimate in comfort

The Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury, which was shown at Auto China in Beijing, offers a special variation of the Mercedes-Maybach user experience. Characteristic features are the light and appealing colour spectrum from white to rose gold, the sophisticated design and craftsmanship and special high-quality comfort items.

Rose gold and glass symbolise sublime beauty

Contrasting light elements against a dark background characterise the user interface of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury. The interplay of light and dark and the use of glass further reinforce the luxurious yet light overall impression. Colours such as rose gold and sensual patterns add contrasting highlights. In the hyper-analogue instruments the pointers move over a round, crystal-look display.

Blending the digital and analogue worlds

Like a butler, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury acts with anticipation, instead of offering long menus and lists. The digital and analogue worlds blend seamlessly into one. The vehicle plays music to match the current mood, knows the appointment calendar and plans the routes accordingly. In the rear, various flavours of tea and relaxation programmes are on offer, depending on who the rear passenger is. This is a luxury feature that can also be found in the user interface.

Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury: Crossover of high-end saloon and SUV

The Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury represents the brand’s design values in a fascinating way, and offers a new interpretation of ultimate luxury. The show car combines the comfort of a high-end saloon with the strengths of an SUV. These include the raised seating position and the athletic looks.

Smooth, dynamic surfaces with no beads or sharp edges conjure up a picture of sporty elegance. With its balanced proportions, the vehicle has tremendous presence. In combination with the low-profile front headlamps with three lamp units, the Mercedes-Maybach-specific grille dominates the front view of the vehicle while emphasising its brand affiliation. The large air inlets along with the horizontal air inlet with integral chrome blades underline the sportiness of the SUV saloon while lending it a dynamic look. The air inlets are crossed by the brand’s typical honeycomb pattern.

The upright C-pillar, long, gently forward-sloping bonnet and compact notchback dominate the sportily elegant side view. At the rear end, the three-part lamps are reminiscent of the design of the front headlamps. Situated above them is the visually vertically split rear window. Another striking feature is the modelled underride guard with diffuser look, which also incorporates the front-end Maybach pattern.

The interior of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury features an exciting contrast between high-level sportiness and luxurious spaciousness. Exclusive materials with high-grade highlights exude exquisite quality in the interior. Exclusivity and quality are underscored by the use of colours such as rose gold, crystal white and pearl grey. Flowing forms, delicate fabrics and aluminium parts create a contrast between the sportily elegant details of an SUV and the lightness of a saloon.

Wave-like, flowing lines of light are integrated flush into the wood surfaces, blending the analogue and digital worlds. The tailored seat upholstery layouts take up the lines of the trim while giving a reinterpretation to the typical diamond shape. The fine perforations are in rosé gold.

The wide centre console extends through to the rear. It is equipped with an integral, heated tray with teapot and cups, allowing exquisite tea-drinking enjoyment while on the road.

Exclusive furniture collection of timeless aesthetic appeal

The designers have evolved a furniture collection to match the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury. It comprises two pieces of lounge furniture, a two- and a three-seater sofa. A coffee table and an occasional table also feature. Inviting lounge chairs on which to relax complete the ensemble alongside planters and coordinating lamps.

All the pieces of furniture follow the same design idiom. With their distinctive shape, the clear silhouette and the attractive surface they convey the design philosophy of Sensual Purity to non-automotive objects. The star of the collection is the sofa, which has been designed as a two- and three-seater variant. The pristine crystal white leather cushion has a high-gloss polished rose gold metal frame. Metal and leather are strictly, precisely separated from one another by painstaking attention to detail.

All the pieces of furniture sport the same mixture of materials and are radiant in white leather and in electroplated rosé gold metal. Contrasts of colors and materials come courtesy of the glove-soft white nappa leather which is also predominant in the interior of the show car and stands for abundance, plus the fine metal sheen of the rosé gold on the backs of the furniture, symbolizing high tech.