Mercedes debuts astonishing 750hp all‑electric Maybach concept for Pebble Beach

So, as we thought: it’s a coupe, it’s all-electric and it has gullwing doors. Its looks are classical and modern at the same time, and it’s surely the ultimate in what Daimler design chief Gorden Wagener calls “sensual purity”.

It’s big but not quite as big as the “6” in its name suggests; still, at 5.7m (almost 19ft) it’s the best part of a foot longer than the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman that’s currently the only Maybach-badged model for sale. Which is how things are staying: this is a concept so put the chequebook away – for now at least. It still does tell us a great deal about what Mercedes thinks a future Maybach model should be like.

As we surmised it is mega-powerful (750hp!) and puts an emphasis on sporty looks and performance in a way that Maybachs haven’t for… well, since prewar times. In fact it is wilfully driver-centric in some ways, eschewing any talk of autonomous motoring and even rewarding the person behind the wheel with a couple of giant circular instruments: real dials with needles that Mercedes has dubbed “hyperanalogue”. All the better to record the car’s 0-62mph acceleration of under 4 seconds then.

For a pure electric car, it certainly doesn’t come across as the luxury coupe to save the planet. The proportions are extreme to say the least. The vast bonnet and big upright “radiator” grille say stonking great V12, but with synchronous motors within each wheel and the batteries tucked away under the floor, under-bonnet space is given over to nothing more than that essential Maybach extra: the fitted luggage.

Mercedes says the look is a reinterpretation of classic principles and recalls “aero coupes of days gone by”. You can certainly see retro influences in its free-flowing form with its  clearly defined contours, absence of wings and rounded boat-tail with split rear windows. Then there’s the body trim – lots of it, including the chrome feature line that goes from nose to tail. All this lives with hi-tech details like rear-view cameras for mirrors and narrow slits of LED lights.

The cabin, sorry “lounge”, is rather more sci-fi with plenty of trick technology on show alongside the conventional dials and traditional luxury of elm wood “decking” and Chesterfield-style buttoned leather. The seat buttons in fact have a very hi-tech twist: they are actually body sensors that scan passengers for their vital signs, so that seat climate and massage functions – even the colour of interior lighting – can be tailored to suit.

More chance of making production is the car’s power system which Mercedes says is “in series development”. Its 80kWh battery powers four motors which deploy their combined 750hp at each corner of the car, for all-wheel drive traction. 0-62mph is said to be under 4 seconds, top speed pegged at 155mph and range between 200-300 miles on a charge, with a five-minute top-up yielding enough juice for an extra 62 miles. All are figures which won’t be too unfamiliar to Tesla drivers.

We should find out more about the next production electric Mercedes at the Paris Motor Show at the end of September, where this concept will also be making its European debut.

Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 is described as a 2+2 but it’s clear this car can’t offer Maybach’s normal spacious back-seat experience. Good thing too. As a luxury coupe for the “gentlemen driver”, as Maybach used to describe its customers, this is surely the antidote to the luxury barges of Maybach’s short-lived previous re-incarnation from the early 2000s – and a welcome taster of a more exciting future for the luxury brand.