Mercedes-Benz on Thursday confirmed plans for a Maybach SL-Class as part of a shift toward high-end luxury vehicles.
The automaker has focused on building its entry-level compact lineup in recent years, but this will change under a new strategy aimed at making Mercedes “the world’s most valuable luxury car brand,” according to a company press release.
With a greater focus on high-dollar, high-profit-margin top-end models, Mercedes is splitting its lineup into three categories: top-end luxury, core luxury and entry luxury. This section includes all Maybach and Mercedes-AMG models, as well as S-Class, G-Class, GLS-Class, electric EQS and EQUS SUVs and limited editions.
2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL 63
Part of the plan is to expand the Maybach lineup, where Maybach SL-Class is effective. Mercedes did not say when the model would arrive, what it would look like or reveal its features, but the automaker noted that the Maybach EQUS SUV is set to launch next year. Hopefully the electric SUV will take hints from last year’s concept version.
Other high-end Mercedes models will also be electric. The automaker will unveil the concept of a Vision AMG electric sports car, and an electric G-Class is expected to arrive in 2024. Mercedes aims to go all-electric in at least some markets by 2030.
Mercedes wants more limited-edition models and collaborations, similar to her work with the late fashion designer Virgil Ablo. Mercedes is planning a line of “ultra-exclusive collector cars” based on the Maybach model, called the Mithos series. The recently unveiled Maybach Haute Voiture concept, a customized Maybach S-Class sedan, also shows what these collectibles can look like.
2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL 63
At the same time, Mercedes plans to reduce the number of compact models in its global lineup from four to seven. The A-Class sedan is already being recalled from the US, leaving the market with CLA-class four-door coupes and GLA-class and GLB-class crossovers. But Mercedes is not giving up its entry-level models.
In 2024 a new generation compact will be launched, the new Mercedes-Benz operating system (MB.OS) and the new MMA platform will debut, designed to support both internal-combustion and all-electric powertrain.