India’s leading luxury car brand Mercedes-Benz, has launched the ultimate global symbol of automotive excellence and motoring luxury, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class in India. The pinnacle of automotive craftsmanship by Mercedes-Benz, the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class combines the perfection and high-tech solutions of the New S-Class with the exclusivity and tradition of the Maybach.

Distinguishing features at the front include the distinctive bonnet with a chromed fin and the Mercedes-Maybach radiator grille. This is highly recognisable by its vertical, three-dimensional trim strips. The word mark MAYBACH is elegantly integrated into the chrome surround of the grille. The equally distinctive bumper further emphasises the vehicle’s width with the shape of its air inlets. The side view is characterised by flush-fitted door handles and 19-inch wheels specially designed for this model. The LED ambient lighting in the exterior mirrors, projects the brand logo next to the opened front doors.

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class has a wheelbase that is 18 cm longer than that of the long variant of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, integrated entirely to curate benefits for the rear compartment. The rear has been extensively upgraded to provide the ultimate luxurious experience. New comfort features include the massage function of the calf-rests on the executive seats and neck / shoulder heating in the rear. Additionally, the globally celebrated adaptive rear lighting (interior lights) is making its India premiere, with the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. This feature provides the occupant the freedom to completely control the ambient lighting such as adjusting the brightness, the size, and position of the light spot along with the light colour – warm / cold. There is also a wide adjustment range between precise working light and relaxing lounge light available.

The new luxury saloon further enhances the excellent NVH (noise, vibrations, harshness) performance of the car. The extended NVH measures mainly benefit the rear section. Additional absorbent foam is installed in the area of the rear wheel arches. Like the rear door windows, the additional, fixed quarter lights in the C-pillars feature thicker laminated glass, as they are close to the heads of rear passengers. Noise-optimised tyres with foam absorbers are available.

With active road noise cancellation, the interior of the already very quiet Mercedes-Maybach S-Class becomes even more hushed. In a similar way to headphones with noise suppression, the system reduces unwanted low-frequency noises using counter-phased sound waves. To reduce engine noises in the interior, the S 580 4MATIC features engine order cancellation (EOC). This means that the rpm of the engine is used as an input variable to generate counterwaves in the partial load range. The sound is emitted via the speakers of the Burmester high-end 4D surround sound system.

The new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is equipped with electrically operated comfort rear doors. With this feature, the doors can open and close with no manual effort at all. Its integration into the infotainment and control system MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) and active blind spot assist, ensures ease of use and additional safety. The rear doors can also be operated from the driver’s seat – an important function when chauffeur-driven. In combination with the MBUX Interior Assistant in the rear, the comfort doors can be closed by a gesture of the hand and stopped by extending an arm.

On request, the exclusive appearance of the Mercedes-Maybach S680 4MATIC can be enhanced by a two-tone paint finish with dividing line. This is applied by hand according to the highest quality criteria. Distinguishing features at the front include the distinctive bonnet with a chromed fin and the Mercedes-Maybach radiator grille with fine and vertical chrome pinstripes. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class also differs from its sister models when viewed from the side as it features a fixed quarter light in the C-pillar. Exclusivity is emphasised by the Maybach brand logo on the C-pillar and the gas & brake pedals.

NTG7 MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) provides brilliant displays on up to five large screens, in part with OLED technology, making it even easier to control vehicle and comfort functions. The visual highlight in the interior is the large central display in portrait format. It is ergonomically well positioned, as the screen is within easy sight & reach between the driver and front passenger. The portrait format also allows longer lists to be displayed. The central display features OLED technology as standard. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. Compared to LCD screens, the advantages of this technology are a better black level, even stronger contrasts and lowers energy consumption.

Additionally, the MBUX Interior voice assistant “Hey Mercedes” can be controlled from the rear seats. Elegant elements such as rose gold dials in the instrument cluster accentuate the premier appeal.

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is equipped with MBUX Interior Assist. MBUX Interior Assist recognises numerous occupant intentions. It recognises eye direction, hand gestures, and the body language of the occupants, to assist with automatic vehicle functions as the situation requires. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is also able to recognise movements and gestures by the rear occupants with the help of 3D laser cameras in the roof liner. Its intelligent functionality detects, for example, the height of passengers in the rear and makes adjustments to the rear head restraints. In addition, the seat belt extender for the outer rear seats automatically offers up the belt when MBUX Interior Assist recognises the occupant’s intention to reach for the belt by hand movements.

The interior assistance reacts to certain movements, for example, if the rear passenger reaches into a defined area of the interior in darkness, a multi-spotlight is automatically switched on. The exit warning function has also been extended and is able to register that a rear passenger intends to leave the vehicle.

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is available with a choice of two engine variants: the S 580 4MATIC is powered by an 8-cylinder petrol engine with an integrated second-generation starter-alternator (ISG) and 48-volt onboard electrical system. The S580 4MATIC engine generates an output of 370Kw (503 hp), with a displacement of 3982 cc and maximum torque of 700 Nm. It completes the sprint from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.8 seconds, while attaining a top speed of 250 kmph (electronically limited).

The Mercedes-Maybach S680 4MATIC features the familiar V12, for the first time combined with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. It generates an output of 510 PS, with a displacement of 5980 cc and maximum torque of 900 Nm. It completes the sprint from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.5 seconds, and is capable of achieving a top speed of 250 kmph (electronically limited). Both the engines are equipped with GPF (Gasoline Particulate Filter) and are future-ready to comply with the stringent emission norms.

Evasive Steering Assist can assist the driver when seeking to avoid another road user detected by the system in a critical situation. In the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, the system not only recognises stationary and crossing pedestrians, but now also takes account of pedestrians and vehicles travelling longitudinally, as well as cyclists. The speed range has been increased to 108 kmph (instead of 72 kmph), and assistance is also given on long-distance routes.

Active Brake Assist uses the onboard sensors to register whether there is a risk of collision with vehicles travelling ahead, crossing or oncoming. The system can give the driver a visual and acoustic warning if a collision appears imminent. If the driver’s braking response is too weak, the system can also assist by increasing the brake pressure as the situation demands, and also initiate autonomous emergency braking if the driver fails to respond. New functions include the turn-off function (e.g. crossing pedestrians when turning off), extension of the cross-traffic function to long?distance routes (up to 120 kmph instead of 72 kmph) and warning / braking for oncoming traffic.

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class comes enhanced with extended MBUX Functions such as native speech recognition, personalisation in lighting, temperature etc. The Urban Guard Plus vehicle protection offers all-round monitoring of the vehicle’s environment. Equipped with break-in and theft alarm system, emergency key deactivation, vehicle theft assistance service, the car remains secure. It also detects on-road collision and notifies the passenger via the app.

The Car-to-X Technology captures potholes, speed bumps, slippery road, heavy rain, fog conditions, vehicle accidents and also allows general warning manual triggers for road safety hazards – notifying all other connected Mercedes-Benz cars of hazards in the vicinity. Notified via Mercedes-Benz cloud on the navigation system – the notifications are done both – visually as well as with audio alerts in case a vehicle is approaching in higher speeds. All this, in real time within seconds with cloud based Mercedes me connect technology.

Rear seat entertainment system provides on-the-go content via two high-resolution, fully integrated 11.6 inch displays to play OTT content. The Burmester® 4D with 30 high-end speakers and a combined output of 1750 Watt along with 8 exciters in the seat completely envelope the cabin with music.

Digital Light technology had its India debut with the new generation S-Class. Digital Light comes equipped with three extremely powerful LEDs in each headlamp, whose light is refracted and directed by 1.3 million micro-mirrors. The resolution is therefore more than 2.6 million pixels per vehicle.

A personal profile can be created directly in the S-Class and synchronised with the existing profile data of the Mercedes me account. By scanning a QR code with the Mercedes me App, the vehicle is automatically paired to the Mercedes me account.

Personal preferences such as a favourite radio station and preselected settings can be transferred to any seat via the personal Mercedes me profile. Up to seven different profiles with around 600 parameters are possible in the vehicle. The ambient lighting can be individually set by remote configuration, e.g. from home. As the profiles are now stored in the Cloud as part of Mercedes me, they can also be used in other Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the new MBUX generation.

Alongside the classic entry of a PIN, a new authentication method ensures a high level of security. Fingerprint, and voice recognition are combined. This allows access to individual settings or verification of digital payment processes from the vehicle.

The Energizing Coach even suggests an appropriate vitalisation or wellness programme based on vehicle and trip data. It also factors the information about sleep quality and stress level into its intelligent algorithm if the driver has a suitable wearable. Rear passengers in the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class are now the first to benefit from this convenience in the rear of the saloon. The seat belt extender is an indirect invitation to fasten the belt as it makes the process much easier. It is no longer necessary to move from an adopted, comfortable seating position to fasten the belt. The seat belt extender is integrated into the adjustable backrest of the Executive seat, and therefore always in the right position for the passenger.

During severe frontal collisions, the rear airbag included as standard can considerably reduce the loads acting on the heads and necks of seat belt wearing occupants on the outer rear seats. The frontal airbag for the rear seat deploys particularly gently, thanks to its innovative construction using a tubular structure.

With the rear-axle steering (optional equipment), the Mercedes-Maybach S680 4M is easy to maneuver, even in dense Indian city traffic. The steering angle at the rear axle is up to ten degrees. It reduces the turning circle of the S-Class by up to two metres. Exceptional ride comfort and agility is provided by the standard AIRMATIC air suspension.

Reiterating the brand’s global focus on offering the most desirable products for the Indian customers, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class was launched in India by Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India and Santosh Iyer, Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India. With this, the ‘Made in India’ Mercedes-Maybach S 580 also becomes the most technologically advanced and exclusive vehicle ever, to roll-out of Mercedes-Benz India’s production facility in Pune.

Martin Schwenk commented, “The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class surpasses the pinnacle of excellence with its fine blend of luxury, technology and bespoke character. It is the new definition of luxury for the ever evolving S-Class customers, who are young achievers in their respective fields and expect the best of luxury products and services. In addition to the traditional attributes of luxury, comfort and exclusivity, these customers prefer the S-Class Maybach over other products for its highly intuitive and cutting-edge technology. The new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is a unique combination of luxury and technology, and we are confident it will exceed customer’s expectations. The launch of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class underlines our focus on introducing the most desirable products for our Indian customers and exceed the luxury offering introduced by the new S-Class.

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is the most advanced and exquisite product we have made in India till date, and it underlines our focus on the growing demand for high-end segment in our portfolio. This limousine demands the ultimate perfection in automotive workmanship along with the most technologically advanced integration introduced with the new S-Class. Therefore, it is a moment of pride for us to roll out the S580 4MATIC version from our manufacturing facility today. It reiterates the implementation of advanced technology and flexible processes in our manufacturing process.” added Mr. Schwenk.