Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet: All the Specs, Photos, Price
Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet: All the Specs, Photos, Price
(Bloomberg) -- Tuesday night at a private residence in Los Angeles, Mercedes-Maybach unveiled the S650 Cabriolet, a four-seat convertible aimed at the wealthiest auto buyers on the globe.
The $323,000 V12 soft-top is the first of its kind from the ultra-high-end Mercedes-Maybach line, meant to tap the recent success of other expensive drop-tops such as the $335,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn and the $267,000 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible.
While the Rolls delivers the world's best in hand-built automotive craftsmanship, and the Bentley delivers racing-caliber speed and performance, the Mercedes inhabits the spot between them, blending characteristics of performance and opulence. Most who buy it will be consumers loyal to German engineering who simply add it as their latest open-air option in garages already stuffed with luxury brands.
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet has a V12 engine and 621 horsepower.
The Mercedes-Maybach Cabriolet is the first of its kind—but hardly the first example of Mercedes tapping this uppermost echelon of car buyers: The brand debuted a six-meter-long Mercedes-Maybach Concept Coupe at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August; its $1 million Mercedes-Maybach Pullman and $192,000 Mercedes-Maybach S600 sedan launched last year. This new convertible is the logical progression of the line.
Such super-expensive cars tap into a market of global wealth that remains thirsty for exclusive product, regardless of economic factors; the margins on Mercedes-Maybach's newest cabriolet are especially high, considering that many of its underpinnings had already been developed for the previous Mercedes-Maybach S Class.
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet includes Swarovski crystals in the headlights.
Mercedes-Maybach’s Cabriolet also includes many of the appointments that make the similar $220,000 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL65 Convertible distinctive: the warming system that blows warm air onto passengers’ necks, the supple leather sewn into intricate patterns on the seats; and an internal fragrance system that scents the cabin of the car.
It comes with Swarovski crystals embedded into the headlights and a matching luggage set. (But where's the $46,000 picnic basket?) Last year's AMG SL65 can hit 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds, which is faster than its Maybach counterpart, but the more recent of the two is the grander model.
Buyers in the United States can choose to have it in one of three color combinations: Zircon Red with a white-and-black interior; Cote d’Azur Blue with a white-and-saddle-brown interior; or Diamond White with white-and-yacht-blue interior.
Mercedes-Maybach will make a total of 300 S650 Cabriolets. Seventy-five of them are slated for the U.S.
Better yet: Top performance is 621 horsepower; top speed will likely approach 200mph. That's enough to put Rolls and Bentley on notice.
Mercedes-Maybach will make 300 in total of the S650 Cabriolet; 75 of them will go to the United States. Production begins next year.
The car comes with seating for four adults.
Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet is similar to the AMG S Cabriolet that Mercedes makes, but it is even more expensive and more opulent.
Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet includes Maybach badging similar to the kind on the Mercedes-Maybach S Class sedan.
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet S will go on sale in 2017.
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet has a trunk with an exclusive travel luggage set called "the Affinity."
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet comes in Zircon Red paint with white-and-black interior; Cote d’Azur Blue with white-and-brown interior; and Diamond White paint with white-and-blue interior.
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet had its official world debut during the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet will compete against the likes of plush four-seaters such as the Rolls-Royce Dawn and the Bentley GT Speed Convertible.
Only 75 buyers in the U.S. will get access to a Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet.
To contact the author of this story: Hannah Elliott in New York at helliott8@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chris Rovzar at crovzar@bloomberg.net.