What does pure luxury look and feel like when it comes to a car? For most manufacturers these days, the saying “less is more” holds true, and understated luxury and minimalism are key focus points. For Mercedes-Maybach, the very opposite is true.
In May this year, at The Art of Creating Desire exhibit in Cote d’Azur, France, Mercedes put on display its most outrageous and outrageously decadent car ever, the Mercedes-Maybach Haute Voiture Concept. Though a concept, Haute Voiture is also a close-to-production unit for a 2023 limited-series model, which perhaps makes it even more outrageous. This isn’t a car made to be ogled on static displays, this is an actual functional vehicle that will be rolling down streets, and very soon.
On the same occasion, carfluencer Supercar Blondie got the chance to see the Haute Voiture in person, for a video that she posted to her channel the other day. The best preface for it would go something like this: if you thought the car was outrageous from photos and descriptions, it is even more so in person.
The video doesn’t offer new details about the concept from what we’ve already discussed, with the exception that two design elements (the rose-gold studs on the center console and the stripes on the back of the seats) won’t make it into the production unit. Supercar Blondie is taken aback by the amount of fake fur used inside, down to the door pockets, and in the tiny and unusable space behind the infotainment screen. Like many people, she wouldn’t personally opt for this much fuzz, but she appreciates the audacity of its use.
What the video brings new to the table is a better look at the concept. A photo is, indeed, worth a thousand words, but a video is much more eloquent. The combination of colors, the nautical blue and rose gold, both on the exterior and inside, the contrast between the striking white Nappa leather and the boucle, Chanel-inspired fabric, the lacquered dashboard with gold stripes and the matching backs of the seats, everything is even better appreciated in motion.
The Haute Voiture is not a car for everyone, and not just in the sense that it will probably cost a fortune. It is shamelessly glam because of its direct inspiration from the world of haute couture, so it’s designed for the kind of owner who aims to make a point of not being one of the people. It’s undiluted and unrestrained luxury, made to stand out and to be unapologetic about it. As you will see in the video, it’s a well-executed exercise in outrageousness.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News