Tech Trend 247

People seem to have forgotten that Mercedes resurrected the Maybach brand as an all-new suffix to Mercedes' most luxurious models, like the Mercedes-Maybach S600. To remedy that, it's created a new luxury car of monumental proportions: the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept.

You might not be able to tell from the renderings, but it is truly monumental. To emphasize that point, let me give you a few of its specs straight away. First off, it's 18-feet-eight-inches long (that's almost 6 meters long, hence the 6 in its moniker).

Despite its gargantuan size, its all-electric, all-wheel drive powertrain will push it from 0 to 62 mph in less than four seconds on the way to its electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. Now, it can accelerate that quickly thanks to its 80-kilowatt-hour battery pack that puts out 738 horsepower.

Although it's big and powerful, it's still relatively efficient, going by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency efficiency standards, it's rated at a 200-mile range on a single charge. What's more, thanks to fast-charging tech, it can receive charge that lasts for 62 miles of driving in just five minutes. The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 includes both wireless inductive charing and wired charing.

To access its "technoid" (Mercedes' word, not mine) interior, occupants flip open the gullwing doors and drop into the coupe's luxurious and techie cabin.

There, they'll find a blend of old-world luxury, like open-pore elm wood floors and soft, quilted leather. These classic features are juxtaposed by high-tech highlights like a windshield that doubles as both a window and transparent digital display. The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 projects driving data and navigation information onto the windshield. And it's operated with gesture controls.

The tech isn't just functional, designers added some fashion, too. The transparent center tunnel in between the driver and passenger projects a visual representation of the flow of electricity from the powertrain to the wheels. The harder the driver pushes the accelerator pedal, the more energy is shown flowing. Granted, it's just a digital approximation. But it's still a cool idea.

Of course, such a high-tech car is also autonomous. With a push of a button, the driver can designate driving duties to the car. After all, there's nothing more luxurious than having a computer do the driving for you.

Intriguingly, the new Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 has the same wheelbase as the Vision Tokyo concept and wheels inspired by the brand's Concept IAA. This is no coincidence. These three vehicles likely show a realistic vision of Mercedes' future vehicle plans, from a self-driving lounge to an efficient, morphing luxury sedan to an extremely luxurious sports EV coupe.

With the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept, Mercedes proves that although the future of mobility will be governed by automated driving and extremely efficient designs, it doesn't mean it has to be boring.