Mercedes-Maybach GLS to Become the Most Expensive Vehicle Built in America
Remember the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury concept introduced last year? It foreshadowed the prestigious car brand’s next SUV, which will reportedly go by the name of Mercedes-Maybach GLS and enter production exclusively at Mercedes-Benz's newly upgraded plant in Vance, Alabama.
Sources told Automotive News that the model is expected to be priced at about USD$200,000, making it the most-expensive passenger vehicle built in North America.
- Also: Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury: a Name that Says it All
- Also: Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet: Maximum Extravagance
Based on the all-new third-generation Mercedes-Benz GLS, also to be produced in Alabama along with the GLE and GLE Coupe, plus the upcoming Mercedes EQ electric cars, the Mercedes-Maybach GLS could be revealed in China this spring and hit the market later in 2019 or early next year. Celebrities and sports stars will no doubt jump on what the company describes as a "halo car," challenging the venerable, redesigned-for-2019 G-Class.
The report indicates that it would be powered by a V8 engine producing more than 560 horsepower and feature a lounge-style interior with nothing but the highest-class materials.
The ultra-luxury SUV market seems to be growing rapidly and the competition is already very intense. You have the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce Cullinan, with the Aston Martin DBX to follow later this year and the Ferrari Purosangue planned for 2022.
A big chunk of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS production will go to China, which accounted for more than two-thirds of Maybach sedan sales last year.
In the future, the plan is to spread the Maybach name across different models to represent the ultimate expression of luxury, just like AMG stands for ultimate performance.