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Turning Heads
With so many elegant, rare automobiles making appearances during the Monterey Motoring Week leading up to the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, August 21, it’s hard for one vehicle to capture a lot of attention. However, Mercedes managed to accomplish this feat when unveiling a new concept, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6. The German brand revealed this stunning luxury coupe at a private event adjacent to the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links. With only a few teaser photos online and a short Instagram video whetting appetites before the official unveil, this Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 was already turning heads — and now the details make it even more impressive.
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Large Coupe
Measuring more than 18 feet long, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 offers classic coupe proportions with a very long hood, a low roofline and the cabin positioned toward the rear. The Maybach marque has a long history of building elegant luxury vehicles, and this Vision concept upholds that tradition by possessing enough elegance to wear the prestigious double M logo.
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Unique Styling
The bold grille features narrow vertical vanes, which Mercedes says were inspired by a pinstripe suit. The clean lines flowing away from this unique front end provide a sleek yet muscular look. Narrow headlights and a split rear window add to the powerful nature of the design.
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Cool Doors
The gullwing doors on the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 add another level of exotic elegance to this already extreme-looking coupe.
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Ultimate Luxury
“Our sensational coupe, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, represents the ultimate in contemporary luxury. It is hot and cool,” states Gorden Wagener, head of design at Daimler AG. “With its intelligent appeal and reduced, technoid look, it perfectly embodies our design philosophy of sensual purity and our pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency.”
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Electric
Before the reveal we fully expected a big twin-turbo V12 engine under that long hood, but Mercedes took a more high-tech route. The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 is a fully-electric vehicle, subtly suggested by the LED lighting strips on the side sills.
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Plenty of Power
Like the SLS Electric that we drove a few years ago, the Maybach features four compact permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors — one at each wheel — creating a high-tech all-wheel drive system. Total output is expected to be an impressive 738 horsepower.
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Stellar Performance
Performance stats are quite impressive — acceleration to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds with a top speed limited to 155 mph. Mercedes also expects a range of more than 200 miles.
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Charging
Fitted beneath the floor, the battery pack has a capacity of 80 kWh. Using a quick-charge system, in just five minutes the batteries will accept enough energy to add approximately 62 miles of range. Batteries may be charged via a standard cable connection or wirelessly via an electromagnetic field.
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Futuristic Elegance
The interior of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 evokes a harmonious mix of elegance and futuristic technology, replete with rose gold accents and seats swathed in high-quality white leather. Wood trim in the doors and dashboard add to the luxury feel, and the elm floor provides, as Mercedes calls out, a “refined yachting look.”
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Analog and Digital
Mercedes refers to the gauges in the VMM6 as “hyperanalogue” — which we assume translates to proper circular instruments with needles and numbers. In contrast to these traditional gauges, the digital displays are integrated within a continuous glass trim panel.
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Full-Screen Display
Many cars today offer a head-up display that projects speed and other vehicle information onto the windshield directly in front of the driver. The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 takes this a step further, employing the windshield as a transparent display with driving-related data and geographical information shown across its full width. Occupants control and adjust the information they want displayed by simple hand gestures.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Coming Soon?
Although we’d love to see a vehicle such as the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 on the road, for now this car is simply a concept. That said, as with past Vision models, many of the styling cues and technology ideas within the VMM6 will find their way into future Mercedes products.
