Mercedes will build stretched S for super-spiffy
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Even though Maybach, the old German superluxury brand Mercedes-Benz revived a decade ago to compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley, has bitten the dust, Mercedes isn't giving up on superluxury. It's planning an ultrasumptuous long-wheelbase version of the S-class range that will be redesigned next year.
The new top-of-the-line sedan will slide into the sky-high market territory abandoned by Maybach.
The dimensions haven't been disclosed, but Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon says the wheelbase will be 12 inches longer than that of the redesigned S-class sedan that goes on sale next fall. The 2012 S class is 206.5 inches long. The shortest Maybach sedans are 225.5 inches.
Cannon would not say when the long-wheelbase S class would go on sale and did not discuss pricing. The Maybach 57 and 62 models range in price from $376,300 to $467,600.
Cannon did talk a bit about features. For example, the stretched S will have a "first-class rear-seat cabin with aroma therapy vapors, dispensing up to six different scents, creating a sense of wellness."
He says Mercedes learned from the Maybach experiment that it does not need a separate platform and brand to appeal to the highest-end clientele. Cannon says the three-pointed star that sits on the hood or grille of every Mercedes is enough.
