Ola Källenius, head of Mercedes-Benz, says the upcoming Maybach-badged S-Class will take the firm’s ultra-luxury sub-brand to “the next level”.

At the start of September 2020, the Stuttgart-based firm revealed its new-generation S-Class. Källenius confirmed a Mercedes-Maybach version of the flagship saloon was very much on the way.

“Maybach has potential and we’re intending to exploit that potential. It is our sub-brand for sophisticated luxury. Since we’ve reintroduced it, using the AMG playbook, focusing on sophisticated luxury rather than performance, we have had a great deal of success,” he told Autocar.

“We have just launched Maybach GLS and we have had a tremendous customer response – finally an SUV with S-Class captain seats in the back and all those bells and whistles for that sophisticated luxury rather than in-your-face luxury.”

Interestingly, Källenius didn’t rule out the possibility of Maybach offering even more bespoke, lower-volume variants in the future.

“Whatever you do from a business point of view must hit the sweet spot between cutbacks and volume and returns. We are car lovers through and through but also have a very sharp pencil in our back pocket.

"Depending on the architecture, depending on the derivative, or whether it’s a special edition of something, if it makes economical sense, then yes, we would do it.”

Original article from Car