The new Mercedes-Benz S-class Pullman will cost more than double the top-of-the-range Rolls-Royce when it goes on sale next year. The 6400mm (21 feet) Pullmann will also be about 406mm (16 inches) longer than the USD474,900 extended wheelbase version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, making it the biggest series-produced passenger car.
Priced at about USD1 million with armor plating and three rows of seats, the vehicle will be reminiscent of past Mercedes models owned by the likes of designer Coco Chanel and former Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos. The four rear seats will face each other and be separated from a front chauffeur compartment by a partition window to guarantee discretion, according to a person familiar with details of the brand’s strategy.
The Pullman will cap an ongoing expansion of Mercedes’ high-margin flagship, which was revamped last year, into a line of six models, double the number of variants in the past. The plan includes a sporty coupe that goes on sale this fall. By increasing its elite offerings, the Daimler unit is challenging BMW Group and Audi to follow as the three vie for the global luxury-car sales lead.
With the new top-end S class, “they are trying to evoke the very famous old 600 Pullman that was used by people from dictators to John Lennon,” said Tim Urquhart, a London-based analyst with IHS. “They want to show that Mercedes still stands for an absolute elite, luxury and opulence. There’s symbolic value to this kind of car.”
CEO Dieter Zetsche is counting on the S class to advance his goal of overtaking BMW and Audi in profit and deliveries by the end of the decade. The CEO reviewed at least a dozen versions of the design and tested the car in Germany’s Black Forest, South Africa, Sweden and the United States to find the right balance between comfort and handling.
Picking a Fight with the Little Kid…
Envy and inferiority complexes do strange things to people, and companies as well. Rolls-Royce sold only 3,630 vehicles worldwide in 2013. Mercedes-Benz sold nearly 100 times that many cars — 334,350 in the United States of America alone — in the same year.
But since Rolls-Royce is still considered in some circles to be the best made vehicle in the world, Mercedes-Benz just has to do their best to show them up anyway. So they just announced there will be a new Mercedes-Benz S-Class Pullman release next year, at a cost just a couple pennies or two shy of $1,000,000. A limousine class vehicle at 21 feet long, with four rear seats that face each other, it is meant to compete for the attentions of well-healed customers, dignitaries, and heads of state.
Supposedly, their motivation for doing this is to prove that Mercedes-Benz is still relevant among luxury marques. Better than 30% of their annual sales are now of their low-end C-Class vehicles. Some at the company feel that throws off the balance of perception for the firm a bit, making it seem more of an everyman’s car, instead of a treasured luxury commodity to be sought after. Perhaps. But it sure seems as if they are trying way too hard to prove a point. Like a bully in the schoolyard going after the little kid with crutches, braces on both legs, and Coke-bottle glasses.
I have wondered for some time now if this configuration would work well for a Tesla Motors product. I figure it would be called the Tesla Model L. It would sport dual motor all wheel drive. It would have a ridiculously large battery pack, at least 220 kWh capacity. It would include all the richest amenities throughout the cabin, but offered with a modern, futuristic theme, instead of wallowing in traditional luxury concepts.
Naturally, it would be fast, efficient, and stylish as well. The almost cavernous frunk would offer supreme safety in front end collisions, in addition to being a wondrous storage area for luggage and equipment, above and beyond the way-too-big trunk. Yes, it would have Falcon Wing Doors in the rear, just for an extra bit of wow factor — why not?
Truthfully, this isn’t needed as part of the Tesla portfolio. If they were to make just a handful of them, maybe 1,000 a year at most, they’d probably sell every one easily. But the company is already purported to be one that sells electric cars that are ‘only for the rich’ as is, no matter how inaccurate the statement. It isn’t time for them to do anything like this at all. Maybe after the Generation III vehicles have arrived, they can consider it.
In the meantime, it sure would be nice if Lincoln or Cadillac stepped up to the plate, and took a swing for the fences.