The Mercedes-Maybach Haute Voiture Concept Oozes Pure Luxury, Goes on Sale in 2023

As its name implies, the Mercedes-Maybach Haute Voiture is a concept car, but it’s also a close-to-production single unit inspired by haute couture. Mercedes will bring the limited-series model to market in 2023, anticipating high demand from “enthusiasts” and collectors. Very rich enthusiasts and collectors.

The Haute Voiture Concept was unveiled at The Art of Creating Desire exhibit in Cote d’Azur, France, alongside the Project Maybach by Virgil Abloh off-roader. It comes with a capsule collection that uses the same high-quality materials and is designed to match and complement the ride. Mercedes’ proposal is to offer a whole new level of luxury: decadent, self-indulgent, and visually striking.

Make no mistake, this isn’t a car for the faint of heart, and it’s not meant as one. Since it’s inspired by haute couture, a comparison to the golden decadence of Versace wouldn’t feel far off: this is the kind of posh ride very rich people drive around in when they want others to know just how rich they are. It’s shameless in its display of wealth, but somehow, it doesn’t veer into a gaudy territory, even if it’s not universally palatable. It is glitz and glam and fabulous, and proud of it.

Much like an exclusive timepiece, the Haute Voiture is a status symbol that brings together the automotive world and high fashion, becoming an art piece in the process.

“The color and equipment concept of the Concept Mercedes-Maybach Haute Voiture has never existed before,” Gordon Wagener, Chief Design Officer Mercedes-Benz Group AG, said at the big unveiling. “We’re fusing the art of high fashion and automotive design at the highest level to create something completely new – a true Icon of Excellence. The Concept Mercedes-Maybach Haute Voiture embodies our style of Sensual Purity’ in a new, extraordinary way. It combines beauty and unexpected, extraordinary details that appeal to all the senses.”

It’s the details where Haute Voiture excels, both in the sheer number of them and in their execution. The striking styling starts on the outside, with a two-tone paintjob that fuses deep navy with a lush, shimmering rose, setting the tone for the same color combination inside. The interior uses materials sourced from the fashion industry: crystal white Nappa leather for the seats, blue leather for the trims, white faux fur for the carpets, and Chanel-inspired custom boucle fabric that interweaves blue, rose, beige, and gold, and “embraces” the passengers by going around the cabin.

A scatter pillow of fake fur is meant to make the interior more inviting, but the inside of it reads “MEOW” – a wink from Wagener, who thought of Dr. Evil in Austin Powers, striking his cat. The boucle fabric is the element that most stands out, especially thanks to the white leather it’s set against.

More subtle touches include the lacquered dashboard in white chrome with rose gold lines that flow along the width of the car, rose gold accents along with the center console, and the stylized Mercedes star-patterned across the gray headliners. The MBUX infotainment system has also been given a glow-up and “visualizes the catwalk atmosphere” with the same rose gold accents. The greeting menu now displays a magnolia blossom and sparkling particles, and the driver is offered the possibility to choose from twelve different avatars for the profile picture – all of them dressed to the nines in the finest, most elegant clothes.

Speaking of clothes, the Haute Voiture will be offered with a capsule collection using the same materials, as well as NFTs and digital art. The fashion collection comprises several pieces of luggage of different sizes and women’s apparel, including a tailored suit of the same boucle material, a lace dress, and an outfit comprised of a boucle jacket and train skirt.

Pricing has not been disclosed, either for the Haute Voiture limited-edition car or the items in the capsule collection. The saying “if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it” most definitely applies.