Mercedes-Maybach has stuck its well-manicured toe into the electric vehicle ocean with the introduction of the EQS 680.
The new arrival is an SUV, but, as you’d expect from a brand of this sort, one most assuredly geared towards the luxury end of the market.
A mansion on wheels may be a more appropriate description.
A quick glance at the specifications and looks of the 680 indicates it might be a fresh version of the earlier Mercedes EQS, except on metaphorical steroids, but this is no surprise as that is the very vehicle the new arrival is based on.
The car is powered by two electric motors that should generate nearly 650 horsepower.
The top speed plateaus out at 210kph, but acceleration from a standing start up to the ton comes in at 4.4 seconds.
It also has an eyebrow-raising 950Nm of torque, which should be enough for any situation where raw power is required.
Scroll through the gallery below for more pictures of the Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680
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The Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 is in the building. All photos: Mercedes -
The 680 is Mercedes-Maybach's first electric offering -
The 680 doesn't lack a look of solidity -
Mercedes-Maybach customers are famous for riding in the back while they're chauffered around -
An early design sketch of the 680 -
The 680 is an upgraded version of the Mercedes EQS -
Mercedes-Maybach says the 680 incorporates the company's best available kit -
The Jetsons would be happy with this dashboard -
It's a grille alright, but a somewhat refined one
Karl Maybach, the son of the company’s founder Wilhelm, had a maxim that what is good must also be beautiful, which is easy to pick holes in, but that dictum has evidently been comprehensively applied in the case of the 680.
The vehicle has an ultra-neat look, even by modern standards, with designers evidently keen to massage out the merest hint of boxiness, which is so evident in the SUV class.
You can choose from a number of two-tone colour schemes, with the black and gold option seeming to underline the brand’s opulent credentials.
In keeping with many high-end products, the 680 rises above the competition due to the attention to detail shown by the engineers and designers who created it.
The car has clearly been set up for chauffeur duty, with those occupying the back seats being given the most bells and whistles to pamper themselves with.
Beverage cooler? Yes. Reclining seats? Of course.
In fact, the brand describes the interior as a "holistic comfort experience" that has a "cocooning effect".
Mercedes-Maybach describes the 680 as being a milestone in the brand’s history, setting a new benchmark in the all-electric luxury SUV segment. It would certainly appear they haven’t stinted on the quality.
Pricing details have not been released yet, but you may want to start saving now if you fancy one. The first models should be on the roads at the tail end of this year.
