S-Class [Official] Mercedes-Maybach Pullman (VV222)

[Monster]

They also confirmed Brabus will build this

I am a bit confused, Brabus will build which model?

 

[SDNR]

I am a bit confused, Brabus will build which model?

Brabus is building the Maybach Pullman models for Mercedes-Benz (thanks to Mr.Mercedes for clarifying that)

That makes me question just how commited is Daimler to Maybach?

It seems to me that Mercedes figured it needed to be seen to offer a Rolls-Royce/Bentley competitor but they didn't want to have to go through the expensive humiliation of the Previous Maybach "experiment" again.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Brabus is only building the Maybach Pullman as far as I know. Regular Maybachs are being built on the S-class line alongside the regular S-class's. This is why MB has said they can produce as many or as few as the market demands and the business case is sound. The guys who previously assembled Maybachs are now working on the S-class line, which is building them as fast as they can at the moment.

 

[SDNR]

Brabus is only building the Maybach Pullman as far as I know. Regular Maybachs are being built on the S-class line alongside the regular S-class's. This is why MB has said they can produce as many or as few as the market demands and the business case is sound. The guys who previously assembled Maybachs are now working on the S-class line, which is building them as fast as they can at the moment.

I didn't know that ....interesting.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Yeah it is. @Wolfgang is an endless fountain of useful information.

The S-class has traditionally been cash cow for MB, and I think with this W222 they are planning on milking it hard with all the variants etc.

 

[Sovereign]

So they are building around 60 units for now. This is quite a realistic approach by Mercedes for the super expensive Pullman. I always felt that Maybach was not a sales failure in the price category it was in and considering it was a NEW brand for most. Rather, Mercedes sales expectation for its hyper priced cars in the early 2000 were way overboard. The SLR was also declared the same by many as Mercedes was expecting to sell 2500 units of its hyper car priced at around $500000.

 

[SDNR]

So they are building around 60 units for now. This is quite a realistic approach by Mercedes for the super expensive Pullman. I always felt that Maybach was not a sales failure in the price category it was in and considering it was a NEW brand for most. Rather, Mercedes sales expectation for its hyper priced cars in the early 2000 were way overboard. The SLR was also declared the same by many as Mercedes was expecting to sell 2500 units of its hyper car priced at around $500000.

Actually Sovereign, you make an excellent point.

Daimler sold around 2110 Maybach 57/62 vehicles during 11 years of production, by comparison Daimler-Benz sold 2677 W100 limousines during 18 years of production (1963-1981)

However, Rolls-Royce Phantom sales are interesting to look at:

Rolls-Royce produced 516 Phantom V limousines From 1959 to 1968.

The Phantom VI (1968 to 1990) was essentially a revised version of the Phantom V, Rolls Royce produced just 374 units.

So as you can see, the BMW-era Phantom is a stellar sales success compared to its predecessors.

1966 Phantom V

 

[hannaz]

Short video and pics from Geneva thru Instagram

 

[SDNR]

It's difficult to make a car that long look elegant ......but I think they've done the best they could. It certainly makes a bold impression.

 

[Carmaker1]

FAZ reports the Burmester Audio system in the Pullman is a €25,000 option, quite a bit more than in the Maybach S 600. It can be tuned to suit individual tastes, e.g. for Wagner which Angela Merkel likes to listen to, or pop, or rock and so on, and also accommodating preferred seating positions. They also confirmed Brabus will build this model, since the plant in Sindelfingen is already busy with other models, and the anticipated production volume is quite small, as only 60 Pullmans were built of the predecessor (VV222). Burmester also supplies the audio for the Bugatti Veyron and Porsche, beginning with the Panamera, and may perhaps soon built it for the chancellor according to FAZ.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/technik-...fuer-den-neuen-mercedes-maybach-13456494.html

I take it you meant VV221? A lot of people forget that even exists and act as if MB quit Pullman production altogether after the V100 in 1981. Until last month, I apparently was unaware that the VV220 had only a brief and not a full run in the early 2000's (2000-2002/03?). It was re-introduced about 5 years later as the VV221. The VV220's discontinuation apparently coincided with the launch of the Maybach 62...

2002-03 VV220

2000-2002 VV220

I am a bit confused, Brabus will build which model?

They've always built the Pullman, so they will continue to do so it seems.

Brabus is building the Maybach Pullman models for Mercedes-Benz (thanks to Mr.Mercedes for clarifying that)

That makes me question just how commited is Daimler to Maybach?

It seems to me that Mercedes figured it needed to be seen to offer a Rolls-Royce/Bentley competitor but they didn't want to have to go through the expensive humiliation of the Previous Maybach "experiment" again.

The X222 in my opinion is the only new variant primarily developed to battle Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The Pullman has always been there, but not high enough in volume to make an effect.

Brabus is only building the Maybach Pullman as far as I know. Regular Maybachs are being built on the S-class line alongside the regular S-class's. This is why MB has said they can produce as many or as few as the market demands and the business case is sound. The guys who previously assembled Maybachs are now working on the S-class line, which is building them as fast as they can at the moment.

Hasn't Brabus always built the Pullman since about for 20 years, which debuted at the IAA in September 1995? Is someone at Mercedes-Benz ashamed of the VV222's recent predecessors, that they fail to highlight their existence? Or is that because it is not offered stateside and a very rare model in general, there's been poor media coverage on the Pullman till now?

It has gone through numerous redesigns and facelifts since 1995 (all built by Brabus), so this is merely a renamed successor/redesign in my opinion, despite how the media acts as if it's the second coming of the Pullman or V100 successor. There were even unofficial pre-1995 V140 and V126 Pullmans that existed during 1980s and early 1990s (read this recently, but need to re-confirm). The Pullman proposition was greenlighted in 1993, some months after the W140 facelift was frozen in 1992.

The new VV222 Pullman needs to produce at least 5-10x more units than the VV221 or else it will suffer the same fate as its recent predecessors from lack of exposure.

 

[Carmaker1]

Also, I feel that the new Pullman feels more visually compact than that of its predecessors. It's the extra rear window that helps with this.

 

[SDNR]

The new VV222 Pullman needs to produce at least 5-10x more units than the VV221 or else it will suffer the same fate as its recent predecessors from lack of exposure.

.....and that could be problematic.

I'm not sure there is much demand for personal limousines this long.

The market for high-end luxury vehicles is very different from 25-35 years ago when wealthy Americans owned stretched Lincolns and Cadillacs for personal use.

Who knows, maybe this Pullman will revive the 'stretch limo' market .....but I fear the fate of the Pullman may already be written.

I, like many here, strongly feel Mercedes is hoping this model will appeal to its Asia/Middle East markets. It will be a rare sight in Western cities.

 

[DJRaze99]

Mercedes S600 Pullman Maybach

The 50th birthday of the best-known Pullman sedan of them all, the Mercedes-Benz 600, is set to coincide with a special debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show: the launch of the new Pullman. Mercedes-Maybach's second model will assume the top-of-the-range position, with vis-à-vis seating in the passenger compartment and high-end automotive luxury that is traditionally associated with Maybach.

Its length of 21.3 feet (6.50 meters) alone is a sign of the special status of the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman. It provides space for a generously-sized and tastefully-appointed club lounge in the rear, which has a multitude of creature comforts fitted as standard. This chauffeur-driven limousine is more than equal to today's demands for the ultimate in exclusivity and luxury. The VIP occupants sit on two standard-specification executive seats facing the direction of travel. They can enjoy the greatest legroom in the segment; and can get into and out of the car with the greatest of ease and comfort. As is typical for a Pullman, the four passengers can sit facing each other in the compartment with an electrically-operated partition window. The prices for unarmoured models start at around half a million euros (as of mid-February 2015, 500,000 EUR = USD $566,922); the first customers will be taking delivery of their vehicles, which of course offer unrivalled scope for individualization, at the beginning of 2016.

Many governments, rulers and royal families around the world have for decades chosen Mercedes-Benz sedans with the designation "Pullman" to drive them with the stateliness and style befitting their status. With its new model, the company is now extending its unique position in this demanding segment: "Quite apart from providing stately and stylish seating for high-ranking passengers in the comfort and spaciousness for which it is famed, the new Mercedes-Maybach Pullman is of course the embodiment of exclusivity at its highest level," commented Ola Källenius, Member of the Daimler AG Management Board responsible for sales and marketing of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "One can sense the significance and greatness of it in every detail."

The Mercedes-Maybach Pullman provides extremely spacious seating combined with unique features characterized by their extraordinary and perfect craftsmanship. It goes without saying that Mercedes-Maybach offers its customers unique opportunities to individualize the appointments of their top-class limousines. The exquisite Maybach paint finishes, which are applied in several layers, count as part of this specification.

With a length of 21.3 feet (6499 mm), the Pullman is another 3.5 feet (1053 mm) longer than the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. The wheelbase is an impressive 14.5 feet (4418 mm). Furthermore, at 5.2 feet (1598 mm) in height, the Pullman is more than 3.9 inches (10 cm or 100 mm) higher than a Mercedes S-Class, resulting in a tangible increase in headroom.

The absolute top-of-the-range model is the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman S 600. Its V12 biturbo engine has an output of 390 kW (523 U.S. SAE hp). With displacement of 5980 cc, the maximum torque of 612 lb-ft (830 Nm) is available from 1900 rpm.

The name Pullman was originally applied to railway carriages with luxurious open-plan compartments manufactured by the American Pullman Palace Car Company. This name was soon also applied to the motor cars from Mercedes-Benz which were based on an extremely long wheelbase and offered a very generously-sized passenger compartment. In the rear, separated from the driver's area by a partition, there was space for four passengers to recline regally in four single seats facing each other.

Extremely spacious seating in the rear, entire vehicle interior is leather-clad

As its name suggests, the four seats in the rear of the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman are arranged vis-à-vis. The owner and VIP guests are seated in the direction of travel on two executive seats which are part of the standard specification; other passengers can sit on the fold-down seats facing backwards. If specifically requested, the Pullman can also be delivered in an exclusive version without the additional seats.

The executive seats offer a unique level of comfort thanks to their special adjustment kinematics. In contrast to the norm, the backrest is adjusted separately while the footwell and seat reference point remain unchanged. The cushion can be adjusted separately, with inclination and horizontal adjustment combined. For the executive seats, the maximum backrest angle is 43.5 degrees. The most upright backrest position of 19 degrees allows relaxed working in the rear. The reclining seats feature a calf support, which is freely adjustable for length and angle. The luxury head restraints come with an extra cushion as standard. The two first-class travellers in the rear have the greatest amount of legroom of any car in the segment, as well as 2.4 inches (60 millimeters) more headroom than in a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.

There is one design difference compared with the existing Pullman model: in the new model, all seats are easy to get to. This improvement was achieved thanks to the large rear doors and the position of the passengers on the executive seats, which is even further to the rear. A real boost in comfort for those heads of state and monarchs for whom protocol dictates that they must take their places ahead of their interpreters. This seating arrangement also preserves their privacy, as a large proportion of their bodies is hidden by the rear roof pillar.

The interior of the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman is upholstered in leather throughout as standard. Not only is the roof liner upholstered in high-quality leather, but also the door frames and seat consoles. As one would expect of a Maybach, there are three analog instruments in the roof liner informing passengers in the rear of the outside temperature, speed and time.

The partition wall between the rear and the driver's area ensures discretion. The glass partition wall can be lowered electrically. It can also change from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button. This allows - in combination with the equally standard-specification curtains for the rear windows - for different levels of privacy. The standard-fit 16:9 format 18.5 inch (47 cm) monitor located in front of the partition can also be extended electrically.

Those who demand uncompromising quality of sound and appreciate perfect music reproduction can choose between two innovative Burmester sound systems. The existing Burmester surround sound system delivers the legendary and unmistakeable magical sound for which the high-end audio specialist from Berlin is famous. But as an option par excellence, the Burmester® High-End 3D Surround Sound System provides matchless listening pleasure and outstanding sound quality.

It goes without saying that Mercedes-Maybach offers its customers unique opportunities to individualise the appointments of their top-class limousines. The key account managers in the exclusive Maybach centres throughout Europe as well as the sales advisors in the Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlets are happy to provide further information on this.

The history: Pullman limousines from Mercedes-Benz

Happy Birthday: the best-known Mercedes Pullman, the Mercedes 600, is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2015. Mercedes-Benz first started offering the prestigious-looking variant in this model series as a "series-production vehicle" in 1965. Having said that, the tradition of offering exclusive limousines with the Pullman name goes back even further at Mercedes-Benz:

Three special-design examples of the model 300 in Pullman dimensions, referred to in the vernacular as the "Adenauer Mercedes," were made in 1960. And following on from the W 100 model series, in subsequent years there were Pullman versions of the S-Class 109 and 126 model series (special production) as well as the 140 and 220 (both standard production)

 

[Wolfgang]

I take it you meant VV221?

Of course. Was introduced at the 2008 Paris Auto Show:

 

[picsoubmw]

The reason behind the low number production of the W221 Pullman might the fact the car was only build in S600 and Guard armored version, at a cost rumored to be above 1 million euros.

For comparaisons, the W220 Pullman were made available in normal and armored version, in either V8 (S500) or V12 (S600 and S63 AMG). The car was also available in the USA. Production number were 180 S500 and 120 S600, all build by AMG.

The S500 Pullman seems to have been available for 300 000 euros back in the days, S63 AMG were made by request for 75 000 euros above the cost of the S600.
Two S63 AMG and the last two W220 Pullman build are for sale in Germany.

With the new Pullman being available in non-armored version and at half millions euros, I assume they will be sold more than the W221.

 

[KiwiRob]

Actually Sovereign, you make an excellent point.

Daimler sold around 2110 Maybach 57/62 vehicles during 11 years of production, by comparison Daimler-Benz sold 2677 W100 limousines during 18 years of production (1963-1981)

However, Rolls-Royce Phantom sales are interesting to look at:

Rolls-Royce produced 516 Phantom V limousines From 1959 to 1968.

The Phantom VI (1968 to 1990) was essentially a revised version of the Phantom V, Rolls Royce produced just 374 units.

So as you can see, the BMW-era Phantom is a stellar sales success compared to its predecessors.

1966 Phantom V

The BMW era Phantom isn't really the successor to the Phantons which went before, it was built as a replacement for the Silver Serpah.

 

[SDNR]

The BMW era Phantom isn't really the successor to the Phantons which went before, it was built as a replacement for the Silver Serpah.

Well the Silver Seraph fits more logically as the predecessor of the Ghost (in terms of market segment) ....but I understand why you would say that.

 

[DJRaze99]

 

[SDNR]

I have got more used to that interior over the past two weeks .....it looks good in the latest photographs. I'm still not crazy about the two-toned cushions.

 

[Sovereign]

W222 based Pullman is nicely proportioned and look better than the w221 based limo, however, car of this size has to have a vertical upright front end. W100 and the RR Phantom pictures above confirmed it.

A more aggressive front bumper on the new Pullman may bring some much needed added weight (design wise) on the front IMO.