Mercedes-Maybach S 600 launched, S 500 made in India

You’d be forgiven for being surprised about the re-entry of the Maybach brand in India. The first innings in India was brief and unremarkable. This time, however, despite having ample prior notice, even us auto hacks were surprised by Mercedes’ announcement. Not only is the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 now available in India, the S 500 is actually made at their plant in Chakan, near Pune! For a luxury sedan that carries the storied Maybach brand, this is a very big deal indeed.

To be clear, while you can now order an S 600 at Rs 2.6 crore ex-Pune, you can’t actually have one for some time. Mercedes has been running a whisper campaign to garner potential customers, and it’s been resoundingly successful. The first run of S 600 Maybachs is all sold out. Bookings for the India-made S 500 are now open. The local assembly makes India one of the only Mercedes plants that makes SUVs, luxury sedans and compact cars such as the CLA and GLA on one shop floor. This was also the last announcement for outgoing MD & CEO of Mercedes India, Eberhard Kern, who officially handed over the reigns to Roland Folger at the announcement.

The Mercedes-Maybach S 600 sedan is powered by a six litre biturbo V12 motor generating 530hp and 830Nm of torque — more than enough to propel the stretched S platform to its limited 250kmph top speed in a hurry. It bears mentioning that while the Maybachs are based on the S-Class, they’re stretched 207mm beyond the already-available long wheelbase S, liberating an incredible amount of legroom for the plutocrats at the back. The S 600 in particular gets first (or at least business) class level seats in the rear which recline a full 43 degrees. Various customisation packages are available, including a luxury package that includes folding tables and silver-plated champagne flutes as standard. Naturally, you can have your pick of interior trim and exterior colour options as well.

Mercedes-Maybach have also gone nuts with safety; the rear seat belts actually have airbags of their own to minimise potential injury. There’s also MAGIC BODY CONTROL that sets up suspension optimally based on upcoming terrain, MAGIC SKY CONTROL to control the light permeability of the sunroof and an AIR BALANCE PACKAGE, which from what we gather, is an air freshener integrated into the HVAC.

After the sheer opulence of the S 600, the S 500 does feel a bit bland. Rs 1.67 crore bland, so still pretty tasty. The lesser Maybach is powered by a 4.6 litre biturbo V8 that generates 459hp and 700Nm of torque, but is rated at the same 5-second 0–100kmph sprint as the S 600 and also limited to 250kmph.

The standard Mercedes S 500 sedan was eerily quiet the last time we drove one, so we’re finding it hard to imagine just how much more quiet the “World’s Quietest Production Saloon” can get. We’ll report on our findings if Mercedes India ever lets us touch one.

Prices (ex-showroom, Pune)

Mercedes-Maybach S 600 (CBU import): Rs 2.6 crore onward
Mercedes-Maybach S 500 (CKD, locally assembled): Rs 1.67 crore onward