RUMOR: Mercedes-Benz's Maybach Successor To Bow At The 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show — MORE DETAILS HERE!

I hope it's better than the stretched patent photos from a while back of the Pullman version. It's tough to improve on the regular S class just by stretching it out.

I believe that the Mercedes-Maybach will be simply a stretched S-Class, where as the all-new Pullman may be a six-door variant.

Probably, the one in the patent drawings was pretty horrible, not any better than what a body shop would do. Mercedes will need to deliver something that no body shop can come up to make this worthy.

Yeah, BINZ does a 6-door version of the S-class. The Pullman should be nice, but they should just leave Maybach alone until a better differentiated model can be developed.

If it's just a stretched out S class, then wow, all that Maybach name just for that?

Lexus LS offers better value and reliability.

The Long wheel base Lexus LS has 6 inches less rear Legroom than A Last Generation S class long wheelbase

Since these cars are likely to be found with a Chauffeur in the drivers seat - that is a BIG difference - and the Lexus really cannot compete in that market because of it

People who choose the car for "value and reliability" are not in the Maybach class =- who choose it for panache' and presence - and exclusivity. However - I suspect that Rolls and Bentley still lead that race - and will continue to do so.

While the Maybach may be structurally just a longer S class - that does not imply that inside - the fit - finish - and materials will be the same. It is far more likely that they will compete directly with Rolls Royce and Bentley in the upper price range of the Maybach

And it depends on what the buyer means by improving on an S class. The requirements of a chauffeur driven "Limo" - that is being taken to the up class are different from what the average driver would consider an upgrade. Bling in important there.

@ TomM

"The Long wheel base Lexus LS has 6 inches less rear Legroom than A Last Generation S class long wheelbase"

What are you basing this on? I haven't seen the legroom for the long wheelbase Lexus LS posted anywhere.

If if does not have its own look i.e. nothing in common with an S Class it's doomed.

I like MB as a company quite a bit, and I like many of their cars, including their most recent S-class. BUT I hate the Maybach since its inception and I can't imagine what this latest iteration of Maybach does for the company or for the rest of the line up. Unlike the S class where it introduces technologies and features that later filters down to the lower level cars, the Maybach (as far as I can tell) take the technology from other MB cars and dress them up in an ungainly package. Other than the changing sunroof, I don't recall anything unique that was introduced in the Maybach that is now a killer feature in the other MB cars (I'm probably wrong here but that's the only thing I can recall anyway). This latest version really needs to stand out from the S class, and I would even suggest that it needs to stand apart from Mercedes in terms of other intangibles.

cant really put any car in the same sentence as the S class. S class is a 10.
7 series, A8 ,xj8 probably 9's , LS an 8 ( mostly for not having a true F variant yet ) and the others under 90k dont matter much.