The Oddly-Shaped Vision Mercedes-Maybach Sedan-SUV Thing Is Dead
Benz says this Chinese-market special was "too complex," but we think it was just too damn weird.
Remember back in 2018 when Mercedes-Benz pulled the sheet off its Vision Mercedes-Maybach "Sport Utility Sedan" concept? We know it's been a while, but the sight of the oddly shaped luxury hotel suite on wheels is still somewhat burned into our minds. Despite the vehicle being slated as a Chinese-market exclusive we were looking forward to getting behind the wheel just to see how over the top Mercedes-Benz was going to go—plus, you know, the thing kind of kept us up nights for a while there. We won't ever get the chance, it seems.
0:00 / 0:00
Six years after the Vision Mercedes-Maybach was revealed to the world, a report from Motor1 indicates the German automaker has decided to put the project on ice like a bottle of 1975 Dom Pérignon. As a reminder, Mercedes-Benz referred to the vehicle as a "Sport Utility Sedan" because for some reason it was determined to shove sedan design elements into this tall, otherwise SUV-ish thing like hammering a square peg in a round hole. Mercedes-Benz figured that design choice would appeal to Chinese luxury car customers.
The Vision Mercedes-Maybach would have been built on the automaker's EVA2 platform, which currently sits beneath the EQE sedan and SUV and EQS sedan and SUV models. It was expected to get 750 horsepower and deliver driving range in excess of 200 miles, but those figures were hardly the selling point. The Vision Mercedes-Maybach was all about providing luxurious amenities. It even came with a tea set compete with a heated tray to keep the teapot warm for rear passengers.
So, why did Mercedes-Benz decide to put the EV on hold? Well in a shocking twist of events, Mercedes-Benz told German business newspaperHandelsblattthat the oddly shaped, ultra luxurious, Chinese-exclusive, electric "SUS" is too "complex and expensive to build." Excuse our gasps of surprise at this stunning revelation, though jokes aside, it seems like the Vision Mercedes-Maybach wouldn't have done that well even if the automaker stayed the course. Once you get past the exterior design and the teapot thing, is this EV really offering anything that Chinese customers couldn't already get in any of the EQE or EQS variants already on sale?
The weird shape, horsepower, and cushy interior are the only things this EV really had going for it. It probably would have ended up as more of a novelty than a best seller in the segment. We've seen how this movie ends before with the Lincoln Blackwood, as well as other sport-ute sedans such as the Volvo S60 Cross Country, Subaru Outback SUS, and others. At least here, Benz cut bait before building and selling a future punching bag.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
Read More
