Even without the Maybach brand, Mercedes-Benz is still looking for a slice of the ultra-luxury car market. The S-Class Extended Wheelbase we’ve seen before is known internally as the ‘Super S-Class’ according to Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche, and will be targeted squarely at the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Flying Spur.
Speaking to Automotive News USA, Zetsche said that the new model will be priced to compete against the two German-owned ultra-luxury brands, but not at the same top level playing field that the Maybach 57 and 62 contested. As such, the flagship RR Phantom and Bentley Mulsanne models will go without competition from the Stuttgart company.
To both differentiate it from standard S-Class models and justify its significantly higher price, the ‘Super S-Class’ will offer “technology and interior appointments that top those of the S-Class sedan” when it goes on sale in 2015. It’ll have to be rather special, then, to outclass the “First Class Rear” seating option already available on the base car.
The Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Flying Spur are derivations of the (comparatively) less exotic BMW 7 Series and Volkswagen Phaeton respectively, so a ‘Super S-Class’ should fit the market with relative ease. Even as it is, it’s not uncommon for a Mercedes to punch above its perceived weight, as the CL-Class in its top AMG guise is already accepted as a class alternative to the Bentley Continental GT.
The post New ‘Super S-Class’ will rival Rolls-Royce and Bentley appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
via Paul Tan's Automotive News http://paultan.org/2013/07/30/new-super-s-class-will-rival-rolls-royce-and-bentley/
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