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Maybach Won't Get a Stand-Alone Model, Mercedes-Benz Says

The Maybach name will only ever be applied to high-end versions of existing Mercedes-Benz products

2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series front 3/4
  • written by
    Director, Editorial Content
    Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of car-related articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET Roadshow, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Ars Technica, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, SlashGear, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and lust over small JDM cars that never made it to the States.
    edited by
    Copy Chief
    Kathleen Clonts has worked in the automotive industry since 2014 and has copy-edited thousands of vehicle reviews and stories about cars and the auto industry in that time. Kathleen is the Edmunds editorial team's copy chief and previously worked as the senior copy editor for Automobile Magazine.
  • The new SL 680 Monogram Series is the fourth Mercedes-Maybach vehicle.
  • The brand plans to expand, however ...
  • A bespoke, unique-to-Maybach model isn't in the cards.
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Mercedes-Benz will not expand its ultra-premium Maybach range to include any sort of stand-alone model, the company confirmed during last weekend's Monterey Car Week festivities. Instead, the brand will continue to focus on high-end variants of existing Mercedes-Benz products, like the new SL 680 Monogram Series.

"There's no plans for that, to make a Maybach-only car and take away the Mercedes," head of Mercedes-Maybach, Daniel Lescow, told members of the media during a roundtable discussion. "That is something we're currently not planning."

2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series profile

When the Maybach brand was originally relaunched under DaimlerChrysler in the early 2000s, its two vehicles, the 57 and 62 sedans, were loosely based on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class but featured unique sheetmetal and interior designs, giving them a wholly different look and feel. Following that, the Maybach name was applied to a trim level of the S-Class.

Now, the Mercedes-Maybach portfolio consists of four vehicles, including the S-Class sedan, GLS-Class SUV, electric EQS SUV and new SL roadster. Each has special design flourishes and unique engine and suspension tuning, but all of them are largely the same as their mainstream Mercedes-badged counterparts.

"In most cases it's really the combination of the top technology and that extra piece of luxury" that sets a Maybach apart, Lescow said. "It's really a fine line."

Edmunds says

Maybe there isn't an appetite for such a car from current Maybach customers, but a bespoke vehicle more luxurious than any current Mercedes product could really elevate the Maybach brand to Bentley and Rolls-Royce territory.

Steven Ewingby

Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of car-related articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET Roadshow, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Ars Technica, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, SlashGear, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and lust over small JDM cars that never made it to the States.

Kathleen Clontsedited by

Kathleen Clonts has worked in the automotive industry since 2014 and has copy-edited thousands of vehicle reviews and stories about cars and the auto industry in that time. Kathleen is the Edmunds editorial team's copy chief and previously worked as the senior copy editor for Automobile Magazine.

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