What sets Mercedes-Maybach S-Class apart from rivals?

Mercedes-Benz India has launched the new S-Class sedan in India under its luxury brand Maybach, with prices starting from Rs 2.50 crore (all India ex-showroom price). The luxury limousine is available in two variants – S680 and the locally assembled S580. (Image: Mercedes-benz)

Mercedes-Benz may be the largest luxury carmaker in India by volume but its overarching dominance in the large sedan segment is what sets it apart from rivals.

The company recently launched the Maybach S-Class, which is already solidly booked and all new orders will only be fulfilled sometime around September. Officials say the company has received 100 bookings for the car launched on March 4.

Maybach is a German luxury car brand that exists today as a part of Mercedes-Benz. The key difference between the Maybach S-Class and the Merc’s flagship S-Class is that it is more powerful, has higher luxury specifications and is badged with the Maybach logo. Though similar in shape, size and look, the two have finer nuances setting them apart.

A healthy demand

Unlike the small single-digit volumes sales that accompany exotic performance cars that include Ferraris and Lamborghinis, Merc sold close to 700 S-Class and Maybach sedans in the last six years and chip shortage or not, it seems to be in the enviable position of not being able to meet demand fast enough.

In 2021, Mercedes-Benz also sold over 2,000 cars with an ex-showroom price of over Rs 1 crore, of which a significant number were S-Class and Maybach cars, and GLS (S-Class SUVs).

In the category of top limousines that include the S-Class and the Maybach, Mercedes has a market share of over 80 percent, said Martin Schwenk, MD & CEO of Mercedes Benz India.

“Globally, for the S-Class we have seen a 40 percent increase (to 87,000 units) and we have seen similar results with us, in India as well. Our overall portfolio grew by 43 percent, whilst in the top-end segment, where we count the S Class, Maybach GLS and the AMGs, we have almost doubled our growth as compared to last year, around 80 percent. We can clearly see a trend towards the higher-end luxury cars,” he added, saying the segment is expected to grow by another 20 percent this year.

Riding the tech wave

Driving the high demand, in one part, is the boom of unicorns and e-commerce companies, Schwenk said, adding that the average age of the Maybach buyer is 38.

“In terms of the profession and industries of the customers, we have got buyers ranging from celebrities, people out of tech industries, and the old economy industrialists and their families,” he said.

At present, Merc’s first shipment of 100 Maybach limousines is all booked, he said. So, why are the S-Class and the Maybach in such high demand, considering that almost all the other German players have their premium sedans as well? Audi has its A8, BMW its 7-Series, Jaguar its XJ.

“Product substance is certainly one, especially the S-Class has been able to set the benchmark over the past many years. That obviously is a huge obligation for the future as well, as our customers expect that excellence. We are a mix of performance and perception, and at the same time there is prestige,” Schwenk said.

Redefining luxury

His point is that Merc blends luxury with aspiration and technology in a way that is hard to replicate. So how does Maybach define luxury?

“When we launched the Maybach, we talked about sophisticated luxury. That’s a blend of high-tech elements like connected vehicle technology and safety features, like for example 13 airbags in the Maybach S-Class,” he said.

“Some of the airbags are in places where people haven’t heard of, like in the seat belt so the airbag deploys within the seatbelt. It is basically a fusion of these things that defines luxury that we want to give to our customers.”

Other cutting-edge features include Level 2 Autonomous Driving with 'Evasive Steering Assist' and Active Brake Assist with 'cross-traffic function', built-in equipment to give you a calve-massage in the rear, and a sensor-based feature called the ‘Royal Wave’ that closes the rear door automatically as you sit inside.

According to JD Power, Level 2 driving automation applies to vehicles with advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) that can take over steering, acceleration, and braking in specific scenarios. But, even though Level 2 driver support can control these primary driving tasks, the driver must remain alert and is required to actively supervise the technology at all times.

Predictably, of course, none of that comes cheap. The Maybach S-Class is priced at Rs 2.5 crore for the made-in-India S580 4Matic and Rs 3.2 crore for S680 4Mmatic, which is fully imported and sports a V-12 engine, making both the variants head and shoulders more expensive than limousines made by BMW, Audi or Jaguar.

Owners’ pride

Jaydev Mody, Chairman, Delta Corp, said he first had an S-Class and then after he drove that wanted to get an upgrade and looked at the Maybach as he felt that the Bentleys and the Rolls Royce’ were, relatively speaking, not value for money, in India.

“I bought the Maybach because it had everything you can want in it which is there in all the other super-premium vehicles and at a price that is rational. It is the best car that I have ever owned,” he said.

Others like Delhi-based senior advocate Percival Bilimoria, who purchased his first Maybach a few years ago, said the reason he bought this car was because it was reputedly known to be the best in the market in its category.

“On the image index, it’s a car that has little competition. There is no alternative to the Maybach in this segment.”

Is there an antiquity angle that leads Maybach to appreciate in value like Rolls-Royce?  Schwenk said that price stability is a concern for every customer. While he can’t confirm whether a Maybach will keep its value in three years, he said as cars keep getting revamped and modernised, their technology changes exponentially which also plays into how reside value works.

“That being said, launching special editions of the Maybach is always a possibility.”