Mercedes-Benz to use Maybach name for range-topping S-class

Mercedes-Benz will be bringing back the Maybach name for the extra-long-wheelbase S-class, which is expected to go on sale by the end of this year. This version of the S-class will be a third bodystyle (out of an eventual total of four), and will be positioned above the V12-powered S600 and its AMG siblings. The Maybach-branded Mercedes-Benz personal limousine will essentially be a replacement for the Maybach 62, and will feature an entirely reworked rear section with new rectangular rear doors and a new rear passenger compartment with first-class seating.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the new personal limousine will be priced between $250,000-$300,000 for the thin-skinned unarmored version, and will compete with the likes of the Bentley Mulsanne, the long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce Ghost, the long-wheelbase Range Rover, and the rumored extra-long-wheelbase BMW 7-series which is yet to be announced. Mercedes-Benz's personal limousine will gain approximately a foot in length, and will most likely to be available with a choice of V8 and V12 powerplants, including the twin-turbocharged V12 producing 523-hp and 612 lb-ft of torque found in the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S600 that debuted at the Detroit auto show this week.

The upcoming Maybach-branded Mercedes-Benz is expected be available with an optional electrically powered partition window separating the front seats from the rear, reclining rear seats, folding tables stowed in the center arm rest, and a number of other business-oriented features.

Interestingly enough, the original Maybach 57 and 62 were to be marketed as Mercedes-Benz Maybachs until very late in the development period, just a few months before both models debuted in 2002. The Maybach sedans used the somewhat-outdated W140 platform that underpinned the 1991-1998 S-class, and were available in two distinct bodystyles with the longer Maybach 62 featuring twin rear reclining seats, a center console with extensive amenities including a wine cooler and folding tables, and an electrically powered partition window as an option. The Maybach models did not meet sales expectations, and the brand was axed in 2011.

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The rear doors will be entirely new as shown in this rendering, and there is expected to be a small window just before the C-pillar like in the Maybach 62.

The upcoming extra-long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz will essentially be a modern version of Carat Duchatelet's W140 S-class of the 1990s, which was the last time that this layout was available. Carat Duchatelet's S600 was positioned between the long-wheelbase S600 and the Mercedes-Benz Pullman, which was an even longer six-passenger limousine based on the W140 chassis which used an inserted section from the B-pillar backwards featuring a middle row of rear-facing conference-style seats.

A number of coachbuilders including Cloer International GmbH, Brabus, Transeco-Bremen, and Carat Duchatelet built bespoke limousines based on the 1999-2005 S-class (codenamed W220), as well as the 2006-2013 S-class (codenamed W221) that were similar in size to the upcoming extra-long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz, though they used smaller inserted sections in the style of the 1995-2000 BMW L7 that merely bought more rear legroom.

A few months after the debut of the upcoming Maybach-branded S-class, Mercedes-Benz is expected to debut an armored Guard version of this model, in addition to an even longer Mercedes-Benz Pullman six-person limousine featuring an extra middle row of rear-facing conference-style seats in a 2+2+2 layout -- the fourth bodystyle based on the 2014 S-class. The Pullman limousine is expected to start at around $500,000 for the unarmored version, and it remains to be seen whether the Pullman limousine will use the basic architecture of the Maybach-branded S-class, or whether it will once again feature an inserted section from the B-pillar backwards as with previous generations.

The Maybach-branded S-class is expected to be revealed during the first half of 2014, and to go on sale later in the fall.

By Jay Ramey