Mercedes-Benz has revealed it is bringing back the Maybach brand – this time as a formal top-line sub-brand called Mercedes-Maybach.
This new sub-brand will sit alongside a newly renamed Mercedes-AMG division, meaning the three pointed star now has three showroom brands for customers to choose from:
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-Maybach
The first car from the new luxury sub-brand will be the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class which is expected to be revealed at the LA Motor Show next week.
Mercedes says the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class will be roomier and more luxurious than standard models, with “lavishly designed, prestigious interiors offering extensive scope for individualization”.
The firm has also announced a simplification of its individual model naming logic, bringing clarity to an ever-growing range of cars: between now and 2020, Mercedes-Benz will have brought 30 new cars to the market, some of which do not exist in today’s range.
There will now be five core model series: A, B, C, E and S. To these will be added further letters to define the type of car they signify.
To use the A-Class line of cars as an example…
GL = SUVs (e.g. GLA)
CL = Coupes (e.g. CLA)
SL – Roadsters (e.g. SLA)
Mercedes-Benz’ Alphabet Spaghetti-like engine designations have also been cleaned up: no more BlueTEC, CDI, BlueTEC HYBRID and the like from now. Instead, the firm will use lower case letters:
c = compressed natural gas
d = diesel
e = electric
f = fuel cell
h = hybrid
The firm will not be changing 4MATIC though, considering it a core part of brand history that will remain unaltered – fittingly, it celebrates its 30th year in 2015.
“By expanding our brand world we are able to offer our customers some new ideas about Mercedes-Benz,” said board member for sales and marketing Ola Källenius.
“Even more choice and individuality in terms of our products, and a transparent and logical structure around them in the form of our new nomenclature.”