A Little About the New Maybach and a Lot About the New Naming Scheme

Mercedes-Benz is a company with decades of history, a reputation for innovation, numerous celebrity clients … and balls. By now, you probably know it takes (brass) balls to sell real estate. You definitely know a company has them when it calls one of its vehicles, in this case, the S-Class, “the best car in the world.”

Let’s assume Mercedes is right. In that case, how do you make such an automobile better? Apparently, by making it more luxurious — by turning an S-Class into a Maybach. Sure, things didn’t work out for Maybach when it was its own brand, but Mercedes just couldn’t let that name and the pinnacle of German refinement for which it stands go to waste. Mercedes-Maybach will be a sub-brand under the three-pointed star’s corporate umbrella and will create the ultimate big-bodied Benz: the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. “Some of the features that distinguish it from the standard production models include extra spaciousness, special seats and lavishly designed, prestigious interiors offering extensive scope for individualization.”

An S600 sedan wearing the Maybach badge will debut in Guangzhou and Los Angeles before this month is over.

Speaking of badges, get ready for a bunch of new ones. Starting next year, Mercedes-Benz will adopt a fresh nomenclature for its vehicles that will navigate customers through the sea of the automaker’s models, which will number more than 30 worldwide by the year 2020. “At least eleven … [will] have no precursor in the current product portfolio.” The system will be oriented around the five main series: A, B, C, E, and S. Model names will be identified by upper-case letters.

SUV tags will begin with GL. The third letter will tip you off to the rig’s relationship to the core set of vehicles. You can see what I mean below.

• The GLA = GL A-Class
• The GLC = GL C-Class (previously the GLK)
• The GLE = GL E-Class (formerly the M-Class or ML)
• The GLE Coupe = GL E-Class Coupe
• The GLS = GL S-Class (previously the GL)
• G = unchanged

The same applies to the four-door coupes, whose badges will continue to start with the letters C and L. For instance, the CLA is the CL A-Class.

From 2016 on, roadsters will still be adorned with the SL prefix, but given the above rules, the SLK will become the SLC. The SL will stay the SL.

A lowercase letter at the end of a badge will tell you what type of engine is under the hood. Gas-powered vehicles will not get that extra character, though. Check below for the breakdown.

• c = compressed natural gas (Natural Gas Drive until now)
• d = diesel (BlueTEC and CDI until now)
• e = electric (PLUG-IN HYBRID, BlueTEC PLUG-IN HYBRID and Electric Drive until now)
• f = fuel cell (F-CELL until now)
• h = hybrid (HYBRID and BlueTEC HYBRID until now)

Check out the following gallery for a couple of teaser shots of the new Mercedes-Maybach and charts of the upcoming naming structure.

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Looking for a good deal on a new Mercedes-Benz? Get insider information here.

via [Mercedes-Benz] photos [Mercedes-Benz]

Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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