Mercedes-Maybach SL concept teased

Mercedes-Benz has given us a first look at its upcoming Maybach SL roadster concept, part of a move to broaden its range of high-end vehicles.

An image of the concept was shared by Mercedes-Benz chief designer Gorden Wagener on his Instagram account.

The image shows a sliver of the Maybach SL’s frontend, including the classic Maybach chrome grille, a three-pointed star emblem, imprinted Maybach logos, and a two-tone red and black colour scheme.

The Maybach SL concept has a similar colour combination to the Mercedes-Maybach Concept EQS, which previewed an upcoming Maybach version of the EQS SUV.

It’s unclear how different this Mercedes-Maybach SL concept will look compared to the regular Mercedes-AMG SL roadster, but going off the teaser image the bonnet of the concept has a singular crease in it rather than the power bulge of the regular SL.

Mercedes-Benz is keeping details about this Maybach SL concept close to its chest for now with Mr Wagener saying it’s “for customers who desire for a sophisticated luxury driving and design experience”.

It’s unclear what’ll be under the bonnet of this Mercedes-Maybach SL. The most powerful SL model currently available is the SL 63 4Matic+, which is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 producing 430kW of power and 800Nm of torque.

There’s also an even more powerful E Performance plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the SL in the works which is expected to have the same 620kW and 1400Nm outputs as the AMG GT63 S E Performance.

The teaser image also shows links to the 2017 Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet concept, which was first shown and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance as an all-electric flagship convertible.

Mercedes-Maybach no longer exclusively offers V12 engines following the introduction of the V8-powered GLS600 SUV, so such an engine isn’t assured.

Mercedes-Benz recently confirmed it’s trimming the number of small models it offers while releasing more high-end vehicles as it targets higher margins.

One of these premium cars is the aforementioned Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV which is set to launch in 2023.

In addition to more exclusive collector editions under the Maybach brand, like the Limited Edition Maybach by Virgil Abloh, Mercedes-Benz is introducing a new program of “ultra-exclusive collector cars”.

These will come under the Mythos Series banner, and will be available exclusively to the most dedicated Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts and collectors.

Mercedes-Benz recently released a single teaser image of a Mythos vehicle, which appears to be an SL-based Speedster.

MORE: Mercedes-Benz plans top-end push, Mythos sub-brand, Maybach SL