For many the Rolls-Royce remains the ultimate fantasy of luxury and opulence on wheels with the brand’s heritage and rarity making it one of the most desirable luxury sedans in the world. With Rolls-Royce and Bentley ruling the super elite luxury space, Mercedes has been lagging behind ever since the lug on brand Maybach was pulled out. However, Mercedes-Benz is all set to bring in the S-Class Pullman (another variant called the S-Class Maybach will be positioned below the Pullman model) that will cost the double of the top-of-the-line Rolls-Royce with a price of $1 million and will be the most expensive sedan when it goes on sale next year.
The Mercedes S-Class Pullman will have three rows and will come with armour plating. The four seats will be divided by a partition window to guarantee discretion to the ultra-wealthy passengers seated at the back. With the new S-Class Pullman, the company is trying to evoke the very famous 600 Pullman that was owned by kings, national leaders, celebrities, dictators and Jack Nicholson in the past.
The Pullman went through a series of designs revisions and tests in Germany’s Black Forest, South Africa, Sweden and the US to find the right balance between comfort and handling. Mercedes states the company set out to build the best car in the world with the Pullman, which will replace the now defunct Maybach brand in Daimler’s portfolio. The Pullman was cleared by the head of Daimler, only after the 12th test drive, once the company was convinced that the flagship sedan was miles ahead than the competition.
The Pullman will form the flagship S-Class variant into a line of six models, double the number of variants in the past. Apart from the Pullman, the S-Class line-up also includes a sporty coupe that will go on sale later this year. Mercedes wants to show that the company still stands for absolute elite, luxury and magnificence and is increasing its elite vehicles to challenge the reign of BMW and Audi, its arch rivals in profit and deliveries by the end of the decade.
At 21-feet in length, the Mercedes S-Class Pullman will be about 16-inches longer than the Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase version, making it the biggest series-produced passenger car. The company is all set to unveil it at the Los Angeles, US and Guangzhou, China motor shows in November this year and will join the S-Class sedan, coupe and the S63 and S65 AMG performance versions in Mercedes’ luxury line-up.
