LA show: Mercedes resurrects Maybach

AFTER a three year hiatus, Mercedes-Benz is resurrecting its ultra-luxurious flagship Maybach brand, with a new S-Class-based model due to break cover at the Los Angeles motor show next week.

The previous model was discontinued in 2012 after three years without a single Australian order and just 13 of the hyper-exclusive vehicles finding homes Down Under, but Mercedes says the brand can again appeal to “status-conscious customers”.

Dubbed the Mercedes-Maybach S600, the new model will not stand alone like the last model, but will join the S-Class range as a new variant alongside the current flagship S63 AMG and five lesser versions.

Pricing and specification are yet to be detailed but with the slow uptake of the previous model in mind, it is unlikely Mercedes will price the new version as high as the discontinued million-dollar Maybach.

Its name suggests the car will be based on the twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 powered S-Class which has 390kW and 830Nm on tap, already lavish equipment and is only available in rear seat space-boosting long-wheelbase guise.

Mercedes has not provided a full look at the exterior of the Maybach, but a glimpse of the boot reveals the company will not be using the traditional double-M badge, instead opting to stick with the three pointed star for the new Maybach.

The company has offered a view of the second row seating, confirming the Maybach S600 will have just as much rear seat luxury as it predecessor with “extra spaciousness, special seats and lavishly designed, prestigious interiors offering extensive scope for individualisation.”

Rear passengers are accommodated in two opulent electrically reclining quilted leather seats, from Mercedes' most bespoke range of customisation options – Designo.

The company says the Maybach name is not simply an equipment line like its recently introduced AMG-Line, but represents a sub-brand reserved for the most exclusive Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Other Maybach branded vehicles could join the S-Class range or even infiltrate other Mercedes segments. “It is a sub-brand that in future will deliver Mercedes-Benz vehicles in an even more exclusive form,” said the car-maker.

The Maybach name made famous in the 1920s and 1930s was revived by Daimler as a foil to Rolls-Royce and Bentley when those brands were acquired by German rivals BMW and Volkswagen, and went on sale in Australia in 2004.

However, it never really hit the spot with sufficient numbers of well-heeled clients to make it viable and, after internal discussions at Daimler’s Stuttgart headquarters, the brand was pulled.