Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet Concept unwrapped

WITH a name as long as its stately body, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet Concept has been unwrapped at the weekend’s Monterey Car Week in California, quite literally as a folding-fabric version of last year’s coupe concept.

All but exactly matching the 5700mm-long, 2100mm-wide and 1340mm-tall dimensions of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Concept shown last year at the annual car show on the exclusive shores of Pebble Beach south of San Francisco, the Cabriolet again aims to define the “ultimate in luxury of the future”.

The red paintwork of the 2+2 hard-top has given way to a ‘nautical blue metallic’ two-seat drop-top cloaking what Mercedes-Maybach calls an art deco-influenced design focusing on curvature, sensual surfacing topped with chrome highlights.

Despite the prominence of the sizeable chrome grille and supersized 24-inch alloy wheels, design themes such as “reduced technoid” and “sensual purity” aim to minimise further styling embellishments beyond those major aspects, with the wrap-around tail of the vehicle said to be influenced by the rear of a luxury yacht.

Compared with the coupe, the Cabriolet adds a custom fabric roof with rose-gold threads, opening to white Nappa leather-clad quilted seats and an open-pore wood floor, with the aim of becoming a “360-degree open-air luxury lounge”.

The cabin switchgear aims to combine traditional round gauges, a two-spoke steering wheel and an aircraft-inspired trio of centre air vents, while twin head-up displays take care of infotainment and navigation functions.

A slimline, wrap-around display also comes complete with blue fibre-optics that help visualise the energy flow of this electric vehicle (EV).

As with the coupe, the Cabriolet features four electric motors fed by an underfloor flat battery pack, delivering 550kW of power to all four wheels and allowing the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet Concept to cover 0-100km/h in “under” 4.0 seconds, then on to a 250km/h top speed.

Fully charged, the powertrain can deliver a claimed 500km driving range and, with fast-charge facilities on hand, Mercedes-Maybach claims 100km of range can be added to the ‘tank’ in just five minutes.

Mercedes-Maybach admits, however, that with the 6 Cabriolet Concept it is indeed a vision for “far into the future” and, according to Daimler AG chief design officer Gordon Wagener, “is the perfect embodiment of our design strategy”.

For now, Mercedes-Maybach has pointed to its 300-unit S-Class Cabriolet production model as a bridge to its next generation of ultra-luxury models.