Mercedes to launch ultra-posh Maybach GLS
Never one to be left out of a luxury segment, Mercedes-Benz is drawing on its exclusive Maybach name to outfit the US-built GLS for plutocrats.
It's official, ultraluxury sport utility vehicles are totally a thing and you know that's true because even normally conservative companies like Roll-Royce and Bentley are getting into the game. Still, we've yet to see Germany produce a real competitor to the Bentayga or something that will rival the upcoming Cullinan, so we're pretty excited about Mercedes' announcement that it will produce a Maybach version of the GLS.
According to the folks in Stuttgart, the Mercedes-Maybach GLS will have some exterior changes to differentiate it from the more standard Mercedes fare including a new grille and hopefully a variation on the gorgeous wheels featured on the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. Of course, the inside will also receive just about every conceivable luxury in Mercedes' considerable bag of tricks including beautiful wood inlays, sumptuous leather surfaces and lots of tech.
The Mercedes-Benz GLS550 Grand Edition can give us an idea of where the Mercedes-Maybach GLS would end up, though comparatively the Grand Edition is for peasants.
Presently, the top of the Mercedes GLS range is occupied by the AMG GLS 63, which produces 577 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque and is, in general, a very nice place to be. It's likely that Mercedes will stick with its now-proven 4.0-liter hot-vee turbocharged V8, but it would be awesome if it attempted to shoehorn the biturbo V12 from the S650 Maybach into it.
The Mercedes-Maybach SUV is expected to make its debut as a concept next month in Beijing, and then we'll see the full-production version in November in Los Angeles. Of note is that the GLS models are only produced in Mercedes' Tuscaloosa factory in Alabama, which would mean that this would be the first Maybach to be produced in the US.
Mercedes hasn't made any mention of pricing, but we expect it to be fairly astronomical, in the proud Maybach tradition and considering its competition, of course. Look for it in dealer order books beginning in 2019.