To the chagrin of rappers and despotic dictators (Simon Cowell) everywhere, Mercedes-Benz killed its Maybach line last year.
Recently, though, the German automaker has been playing with ideas of rebirthing the brand with a stretched-out version of its new S-Class.
I think, though, there’s a better solution. It’s called the U-Class and its from the mind of Scott Wu Kaiser, a transportation design student at Art Center College of Design.
Kaiser created the U-Class – named for the German word “üppig”, which means “sumptuous” and “lavish” – to compete with the German-owned Bentley and Rolls-Royce brands.
“Mercedes-Benz will need to secure their dominant position in the full-size luxury segment while entering the higher priced market,” Kaiser’s design presentation reads. “In order to achieve this goal, the next generation S-Class will be designed and priced to directly compete with the Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series. A new class of vehicle called the U-Class will enter into the higher-end market.”
I think Kaiser is dead-on. While the S-Class is a world-class luxury sedan, it doesn’t quite compete with the much more exclusive Bentley and Rolls-Royce models. After all, a $250,000 S-Class is still an S-Class that started life as a $92,900 land yacht.
Just ook at the front end of that thing. I love how Kaiser brought in elements of vintage Mercedes models, melded with a modern profile and rear-end.
Powered by a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12, which I should mention isn’t a currently existing Mercedes motor, the U-Class would be one mean rear-drive luxury sedan.
In fact, it wouldn’t just be huge on power; the U-Class would be longer than the Bentley Flying Spur but just a bit shorter than the Rolls-Royce Ghost.
What do you think of the U-Class? Tell us in the comments below.
(Photo credit: Scott Wu Kaiser Design)
