Mercedes-Benz halted further development on a project that aimed to fuse sedan practicality with the rugged versatility of a crossover. Reports from motor1.com outline that this was intended to inaugurate a new Sport Utility Sedan (SUS) family, a bold attempt to redefine the balance between luxury, space, and efficiency in a single, cohesive platform.
The concept for the forthcoming model, which many followers came to know as Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury, first surfaced in Germany in 2018. The vehicle was pitched as an electric flagship with a substantial footprint, measuring about 5260 millimeters in length. It was engineered to deliver formidable performance, with a reported power figure around 738 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and a battery pack designed for daily usability as well as long-distance capability. Official projections claimed a driving range exceeding 500 kilometers on a full charge, while electronically regulating top speed to about 250 kilometers per hour. These specifications painted a picture of a high-end, multi-tasking vehicle that could tackle both city commutes and highway cruises in a single, premium package, appealing to buyers in the United States and Canada who value luxury without compromise.
Ultimately, management decided to pause work on the SUS concept several months prior, citing the high production costs and the technical complexity required to bring such a model to market at a viable price point. Mercedes-Benz noted that there is already a broad and competitive electric-vehicle landscape, with several established and upcoming offerings that cover the major segments. In their view, this market saturation plus the substantial manufacturing challenges associated with a vehicle that sits at the intersection of three distinct body styles made the SUS project impractical to pursue further at that time. The pause reflects a broader industry trend where automakers weigh innovation against manufacturability and long-term profitability, especially in the rapidly evolving electric-vehicle space in North America and Europe.
In related news, earlier reports mention that the first batch of Lada Iskra cars was produced in Russia, a detail that has often been cited in discussions about speed, scale, and the global diffusion of new automotive concepts. While those events are separate from Mercedes-Benz’s strategic decisions, they illustrate how manufacturers around the world test and iterate on new ideas, sometimes signaling broader shifts in how markets respond to ambitious design goals and the evolving demands of consumers seeking premium, tech-forward mobility.