The ultra-fancy Mercedes-Maybach SUV will be built in Alabama
It would supplant the NSX as the most expensive vehicle built in the US.
Mercedes-Benz plans to lean on its Maybach sub-brand to help the automaker compete against a growing contingent of super-luxury SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan. And now we know where it will be built.
The upcoming Mercedes-Maybach SUV will be built in Alabama, Automotive News reports. With an estimated price around $200,000, that this super-SUV would become the most expensive vehicle manufactured in the US, a title currently held by the $159,300 Acura NSX . Before production begins, it's expected to make its formal debut in China later this year.
The upcoming Maybach SUV will be based on the same platform as the new generation of Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, which will also be unveiled this year. Both vehicles will be built alongside the GLE-Class and C-Class at the Mercedes-Benz US International facility, which was first announced in 1993 and got its start building the automaker's M-Class SUV. Eventually, the facility will also be responsible for electric vehicles, and the automaker is investing $1 billion in preparation for this new addition.
Mercedes-Benz announced its aspirations to build this properly plush SUV last year, when it introduced the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury concept at the Auto China show in Beijing. It was a wild thing, with a car-like top half seemingly grafted to an SUV's bottom half. A properly regal interior complemented the insane exterior styling, with quilted leather, rose-gold accents or wood trim with embedded LEDs on just about every surface. Its powertrain consisted of four electric motors that combined to produce 750 horsepower.
Later in 2018, Mercedes let slip additional details about what to expect in a production version. It will reportedly feature an improved version of the automaker's Magic Body Control suspension, which uses cameras proactively adjust the suspension ahead of bumps and potholes. The automaker is also reportedly working on a "chauffeur-focused" driving mode that minimizes shifts in order to translate less movement to the cabin. Talk about prioritizing comfort over all else.
