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Future Mercedes-Maybach SLs Will Be 'Out There' and 'Flashy'

Mercedes' design boss says these initial red and white specs are just the beginning

2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series profile
  • 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 Mercedes-Maybach SL is the brand's latest ultra-luxury convertible.
  • Initially offered in either red or white with a white interior, Mercedes' design boss says more options are on the way.
  • The Maybach SL makes its debut during this year's Monterey Car Week festivities.

Mercedes-Benz is taking a somewhat uncharacteristically simple approach when it comes to letting customers option the new Maybach SL 680. Basically, you can have it in one of two designs — red or white — with either multi-spoke or monoblock wheels. That's it.

"I prefer giving a tasteful combination," Mercedes-Benz chief design officer Gorden Wagener said in an interview last week. "This is why we are the designers and specialists in taste."

2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series rear 3/4

Putting it another way, Anja Steindl, manager of Mercedes-Maybach brand and product communications, said, "We like to compare it with the menu at a three-star Michelin restaurant: You trust the chef that what you get is the best combination of all ingredients and it will be to your taste."

But will this always be the plan for the Mercedes-Maybach SL? According to Wagener, not exactly.

"There are a couple of other color schemes we have still in the back of our draw," he said. "Some are a bit more into quiet luxury. Some are a bit more out there, flashy luxury."

And what about customers who want to play by their own rules?

"If some customer really wants something, we will not say, 'You don't get it,'" Wagener said. "It will just be an additional charge, of course."

2026 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series front
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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