Mercedes-Maybach S 680 Virgil Abloh launched, limited to 150 units worldwide

Project MAYBACH, created by Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, and Virgil Abloh, artist, architect, creative director, fashion designer, and philanthropist, made its Chinese debut in a natural setting.

The Mercedes-Maybach S 680 Virgil Abloh Limited Edition, inspired by this car, was launched in a limited edition of 150 units worldwide.

Project MAYBACH concept car

On the banks of the Huangpu River in autumn, a natural mystery in the color of sand and gravel emerges from the modern city. The simple and pure exterior of the desert-rammed earth and the hidden green mountains and sea inside build a naturalistic urban utopia together. The human's expectation to integrate with nature is born from human instinct, which is even more eager in the busy modern life. "Project MAYBACH China touring exhibition draws inspiration from China's classic landscapes and creates an artistic and immersive experience covering natural rainforest, desert wilderness, beach and rocks, and mountains and seas through a full-sensory spatial atmosphere of installation, lighting, video, and sound. The Project MAYBACH concept car, which breaks the boundary of imagination, was unveiled here.

With Project MAYBACH, Wagner and Virgil Abloh are attempting to subvert the stereotypical image of the Mercedes-Maybach as an elegant and sophisticated vehicle that is often seen in the busy city. Project MAYBACH breaks the paradigm of existing car design and attempts to extend this traditional brand experience to a new outdoor adventure context, combining the two elements of "luxury" and "practicality". Project MAYBACH breaks the existing car design paradigm and tries to extend this traditional brand experience to a new outdoor adventure context, combining the two concepts of "luxury" and "practicality", which are usually difficult to coexist, to truly achieve "luxury to use".

The two-seater electric off-road concept with its impressive dimensions of almost six meters, its wild and bold sand-colored paint, the roll cage with integrated luggage rack, the searchlight cluster, and the large wheels with coarse-grained tread and 17-inch rims reinforce the off-road, pure outdoor style. The iconic Maybach design is still very much present: in addition to the headlights and the prominent taillights, the front of the car is futuristic with its large glass panels and a modern interpretation of the classic vertical grille; the chrome trim integrated into the center of the front hood echoes the rear window with its through-brake light trim, highlighting the brand's strong and neutral DNA; the sand-colored paint on the side of the car with the dark black panels around the body. The sand-colored paint on the side of the car and the deep black panels around the body form the signature two-tone exterior design of the Maybach, combining the connotation of "ultimate luxury" with the exploration of nature over the mountains.

The bold, functional, and holistic color concept continues in the sand-colored interior of the cabin. The beautiful high-gloss aluminum trim throughout the interior recalls the refinement and elegance of the Maybach's centuries-old heritage. The simplicity of the interior is reinforced by the personalized dashboard, which, when rotated 180 degrees, transforms into a giant screen where players can control the steering wheel and pedals to experience an exclusive computer game that simulates real driving, bringing new driving pleasure. The "in-car night stay" experience is also eye-opening: the seat can be turned into a sleeping bed when it is lowered, and the rear partition can be opened to extend it; the woolen jacquard milligram fabric can be used as both a headrest and a blanket; thus, the vehicle can be transformed into a luxury room with reading lights, leading the driver to be fully immersed in nature. Immerse yourself in nature. What's more, the oversized seats can be folded and removed from the car by the handle like a suitcase, breaking the boundary between inside and outside the car to the maximum extent, bringing exquisite life to the outdoors.

As an electric concept car, Project MAYBACH also has solar cells under the transparent front hatch to provide energy supplements for the vehicle. In addition, the concept car's main interior material is made of sustainable leather naturally tanned from coffee bean shells to reduce the environmental impact of the production material.

Mercedes-Maybach S 680 Virgil Abloh Limited Edition

The Mercedes-Maybach S 680 Virgil Abloh Limited Edition draws to the maximum on the essence of the Project MAYBACH concept car, specially created by Mercedes-Benz's bespoke team in Sindelfingen, Germany, and is renowned for its perfect symbiosis of innovative design and top-level craftsmanship. The exterior of the car features an exclusive two-tone paint scheme designed specifically for Project MAYBACH, with Obsidian Black high-gloss paint on the upper body and Windstone Sand paint on the lower body with exclusive Sand-colored forged wheels for a natural and smooth look. To further reinforce the unique exterior design, the windows are also painted in integrated black, once again demonstrating the attention to detail that has gone into the Maybach.

The two-tone interior design mirrors the exterior, with the four individual seats, doors, dashboard, and roof lining wrapped in large areas of black or sand-colored Nappa leather, with the large areas of sand-colored pavement evoking the comfort of returning to nature, while the addition of classic black enhances the sense of power in the space. The center console, rear seat cushions, and headrests are adorned with the Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh logo, and the exclusive "1 of 150" plaque is engraved in the center console to highlight the commemorative value and status of the car. The limited edition is equipped with leading-edge technology and the MBUX intelligent human-machine interaction system with an exclusive customizable interface, presenting users with a more refined and luxurious digital interaction experience, so that they can always enjoy the extraordinary on the road.

Owners of this limited edition model will also receive an exclusive gift box. The gift box is wrapped in sand-colored Nappa leather and decorated with the Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh logos. The box contains a limited edition 1:18 scale replica of the car, two car keys, and a hiking buckle. In addition, the owner will receive a custom car coat with the co-branded logo.

Not only the luxury cars, but the design concept of Project MAYBACH even extended to the show - a capsule collection of ready-to-wear designed by Virgil Abloh and Off-White™, offering a variety of fashion items such as racing gloves and hoodies, which spread the theme of exquisite outdoor exploration. The capsule collection is an extension of Virgil Abloh's design genius' cross-disciplinary spirit of exploration and innovative strength.

"Project MAYBACH China Tour" was held at Taikoo Li on the Bund in Shanghai from October 10 to 17, and will be held at Shenzhen Happy Coast from October 25 to November 2. For more than a century, Mercedes-Maybach's belief in "the ultimate in luxury" has been deeply rooted in the brand's DNA, and it is only natural to explore and innovate.