Billed as a heir to the dictator-friendly 600 Pullman built from 1963 to 1981, the 21st century 600 Pullman will stretch approximately 21 feet from bumper to bumper, making it the longest regular-production car in the world. Pullman buyers will be able to spruce up their car by picking from an endless list of options ranging from simple add-ons like different alloy wheels to full body armor. Insiders have revealed the Pullman will cost about $1 million in its most expensive configuration.
Mercedes understandably expects most Pullmans will be sold in China and in Middle Eastern countries. Company executives have not decided whether or not to sell the car in the United States.
The Maybach range will be expanded downwards, too, with an all-wheel drive variant of the S600 that is set to debut shortly. It likely will ditch the 600’s potent V12 and adopt the S550’s twin-turbocharged 4.7-liter V8 engine because it linking the 12-cylinder to Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive system is too complicated.
Mercedes will further expand the Maybach lineup if the S-Class-based models are successful.
“If brand is popular, we could of course make a Maybach version of many different cars. Maybach is about quality, refinement, comfort and exclusivity – as long as a car has these characteristics, it could be a Maybach,” explained Dr. Hermann-Joseph Storp, the development director for the S-Class, in an interview with British magazine Autocar.
Storp warned that Mercedes is not currently developing additional Maybach variants. However, he revealed that candidates for the Maybach treatment include the E-Class, the S-Class Coupe and the GLS-Class (formerly known as the GL-Class). Smaller models like the C-Class and the CLA-Class are unlikely to wear the Maybach name, and a Maybach-AMG crossover has been officially ruled out.
Maybach-badged models take about two years to develop, so the brand’s next model is still a ways away from hitting showrooms if it is given the green light for production.
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