The German luxury carmaker has unveiled a concept car that stands up in a comparison to Tesla in design. Here are the first pictures.
The American care manufacturer is still loss-making. But the purely electrically-powered Model S is extremely popular, especially in Switzerland.
Competitors like Audi, BMW and Porsche have caught up and also now offer electric cars. Mercedes is the most recent entrant, surprising the market with a racy concept car – a draft, so to speak (see video).
Concept Car for the Future
The luxury division of the Stuttgart-based automaker, Mercedes-Maybach, recently presented the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept at the Monterey Car Week near San Francisco recently.
Mercedes bills the 2+2-seater as an homage to the glorious days of aero-coupes, a tradition it is attempting to carry forward into the future,.
Nearly six meters in length, the luxury car comes with iconic gullwing doors and the distinctive Maybach radiator grill. Getting into the car may be another story: its only 1 meter and 30 centimeters high.
500 km Reach
The Mercedes-Maybach actually beats Tesla when it comes to performance: the German luxury car can go from 0 to 100 km per hour in less than four seconds flat thanks to 750 horsepower from four electric motors.
The maximum speed is electrically capped at 250 km per hour.
Its performance range is an astounding 500 km. Thanks to quick-charging, the car can load up enough power for 100 kilometers in just five minutes.
Spaceship Feel
The car’s interior resembles a spaceship: driving data and navigation information are projected onto the windshield and can be operated by touch.
A center tunnel between driver and passenger approximates the flow of electricity powering the cars – the harder the driver presses the pedal, the more «energy» is shown pulsing
With so much gadgetry, a steering wheel seems antiquated.
The concept car will give many a millionaire sleepless nights. It can only end in heartbreak: as is customary with such design drafts, the Mercedes-Maybach 6 as depicted here will probably never come to the market.
