Polarizing is the perfect word to define the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury concept that the German automotive producer dropped at the Auto China 2018 show in Beijing.
There's a camp (obviously backed by the automaker itself) that sees the high-riding sedan shape of the concept car as the ultimate form of rugged terrain sophistication. After all, with SUVs being more popular with each new season, somebody had to question their appearance.
And since we've always enjoyed such open-minded proposals (for one thing, we adore jportscars, or jacked-up sportscars, as well as lifted machines like Porsche's recent Mission E Cross Turismo Concept), we belong in this camp.
Then there's the group of aficionados who wonder if this isn't a way of introducing China's super-rich to the Donk subculture.
Well, regardless of which side you're willing to take, you have to admit that this concept car can't be ignored - for the sake of inner peace, the thing comes with a built-in tea pot!
However, we might have just come across a third camp, one that believes that Mercedes-Maybach should provide a more... traditional alternative. This comes from the rendering above, which shows what would've happened had the three-pointed star chosen to offer the concept with a conventional SUV body - pixel tip to digital artist Jan Peisert for the image (here are some of his other renders).
As you'll be able to notice by zooming in on the social media-delivered comparo image below, the greenhouse of the two machines is identical. Nevertheless, the metal sitting above it isn't the only change, as the render also sees the machine being fitted with door mirrors (no more camera play).
Given the extreme powertrain details of the Mercedes-Maybach concept, there was no need to talk about a change in this area. After all, 750 hp and all-wheel-drive, mixed with an 80 kW battery pack that offers a range of 310 miles (500 km) and a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) should be enough to please most gearheads.
And since we've always enjoyed such open-minded proposals (for one thing, we adore jportscars, or jacked-up sportscars, as well as lifted machines like Porsche's recent Mission E Cross Turismo Concept), we belong in this camp.
Then there's the group of aficionados who wonder if this isn't a way of introducing China's super-rich to the Donk subculture.
Well, regardless of which side you're willing to take, you have to admit that this concept car can't be ignored - for the sake of inner peace, the thing comes with a built-in tea pot!
However, we might have just come across a third camp, one that believes that Mercedes-Maybach should provide a more... traditional alternative. This comes from the rendering above, which shows what would've happened had the three-pointed star chosen to offer the concept with a conventional SUV body - pixel tip to digital artist Jan Peisert for the image (here are some of his other renders).
As you'll be able to notice by zooming in on the social media-delivered comparo image below, the greenhouse of the two machines is identical. Nevertheless, the metal sitting above it isn't the only change, as the render also sees the machine being fitted with door mirrors (no more camera play).
Given the extreme powertrain details of the Mercedes-Maybach concept, there was no need to talk about a change in this area. After all, 750 hp and all-wheel-drive, mixed with an 80 kW battery pack that offers a range of 310 miles (500 km) and a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) should be enough to please most gearheads.