Vision Ultimate Luxury: Mercedes-Maybach unveils SUV concept

The SUV market has been booming for nearly decade but it’s only in the past two years that luxury carmakers have delivered a product for buyers on the hunt for a more lavish crossover.

The first luxury entry in the crossover market is arguably the Bentley Bentayga, which became the most expensive SUV on sale when it launched two years ago.

This was followed by the supercar-inspired Lamborghini Urus at the end of last year. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is also due to launch later this year.

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Now Mercedes wants a slice of the SUV action. The company has just taken the wraps off its new Maybach Vision Ultimate Luxury concept at the Beijing Motor Show.

Unlike the current crop of luxury SUVs – all of which take the form of a long-roofed shooting brake with a tall ride height – the Maybach concept has a three-box design that’s similar to a saloon car.

The long bonnet and four-door cabin are typical of a large SUV, but the Maybach concept’s roofline gradually slopes downwards at the rear before levelling off horizontally.

The rear window is split in two with a piece of bodywork running down the middle. Below the window is a saloon-style boot lid, which is decorated with the Maybach badge, and a thin aluminium band that runs across the width of the car.

Along with its luxurious looks, Mercedes has fitted the Maybach concept with a set of 24in wheels whose design is inspired by aircraft turbines.

Step inside and you’ll be treated to an elegant leather cabin with polished wooden panels. There are chrome highlights around the dashboard, along with the Maybach logo in the centre arm rest.

Mercedes has also equipped the concept with its dual-screen infotainment system. The car has a digital panel in front of the driver and a touchscreen at the centre of the dashboard.

But the cabin isn’t the only hi-tech feature in the Maybach concept as each wheel is fitted with a compact electric motor.

Together, the motors produce an output of 740bhp. The 80kWh battery allows you to drive for over 200 miles on a single charge under the US-based Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) measurement system.

While the Mercedes-Maybach Vision Ultimate Luxury may be appealing to buyers looking for the most lavish SUV money can buy, the German car giant has yet to announce plans to put the concept into production.

There’s a chance, however, that the concept is in an early design phase. This means a production model could appear in a few years’ time.