• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The End of an Era for Rolls-Royce
  • South Carolina Provides $1.29 Billion Incentive for new Scout Factory
  • Hyundai and Kia Criticized about Stolen Car Problems by Attorneys General
  • Dodge Rolls Out Final “Last Call” Model: a 1,025-Hp Challenger SRT Demon 170
  • Acura’s New Integra Type S Launching with 320 Hp
  • First Look: Ferrari Roma Spider
  • What do Americans Think of EV Ownership Today?
  • Challenger Fain Edges Closer to UAW Presidency
  • Week Ahead: All About the Cars — Except for the UAW Part
  • The Rearview Mirror: Birth of a Sports Car Legend
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70
    • First Drive: 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Jeep Compass Limited
    • A Week With: 2023 Cadillac Escalade V-Series
    • A Week With: 2023 Volvo XC40 AWD Ultimate
    • First Drive: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
    • First Drive: 2023 Lexus RZ 450e
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Manual
    • First Impression: 2024 Volkswagen ID.Buzz
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Blazer RS AWD
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > AMG, Maybach, Buoying Mercedes as it Takes Global Luxury Lead

        AMG, Maybach, Buoying Mercedes as it Takes Global Luxury Lead

        Is an all-electric AMG in the cards?

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Jan. 16, 2017
        The Mercedes-AMG GT R takes on winter's worst in the latest expansion of the Forza racing game.

        Once rare, Daimler’s AMG division seems intent on turning out high-performance versions of just about every possible Mercedes-Benz model – sometimes two or more, as it demonstrated at the Detroit Auto Show with the launch of several new Mercedes-AMG GT variants.

        The latest AMG models are not just faster than ever, they’re flying out of showrooms at a record pace, with little indication of any slowdown in sight as the brand that began in a German garage marks its 50th anniversary.

        Subscribe & Stay on Top!

        AMG isn’t the only brand-within-a-brand success story for Daimler. If anything, however, Maybach may be an even bigger surprise, having come back from the dead just two years ago as the marque for Mercedes’ most exclusive models. The reincarnated brand is now selling more cars in China each month than it did worldwide in its previous life.

        Even those who can’t afford a six-figure car loan now can drive an AMG – at least in virtual form. The new Mercedes-AMG GT R comes to life on “snow-covered roads and icy slopes” as part of the Blizzard Mountain expansion pack for the Forza racing game.

        The Mercedes SLS Electric Drive made its debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

        For those with a bit more cash, Mercedes-AMG introduced three all-new or updated models at this month’s North American International Auto Show, including the GT C Coupe. And it hinted at more to come with an anticipated AMG version of the new E-Class Coupe.

        (For more on the latest Mercedes models debuting in Detroit, Click Here.)

        The GT is currently the most powerful and fastest model in the AMG portfolio, but a new hypercar, based on the Mercedes Formula One racer is in the works. Notably, that model will rely on an F1-based hybrid powertrain, a first for the German marque.

        And that raises the question about whether AMG will go even further into the realm of battery propulsion. It already did introduce a low-volume, all-electric version of the old SLS model several years ago.

        Nothing is currently in the works, said Dieter Zetsche, the Daimler CEO, during a conversation at the Detroit Auto Show, suggesting “the question is when,” not if, AMG will eventually do an all-electric model again.

        That said, it won’t be easy delivering the sort of performance AMG buyers expect out of an electric drivetrain, he added. “We have to be aware that the combustion engine has been under development for 150 years, so it is an incredibly high barrier.”

        The Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet.

        Nonetheless, AMG is facing a concerted assault by a variety of competitors, including new entrants like Tesla and Faraday Future. The Tesla Model S is already the world’s fastest production car from 0 to 60, and the Faraday FF91 – which debuted at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show, ahead of a promised 2018 launch – promises to be even quicker, a prototype hitting 60 in a blistering 2.39 seconds.

        Of course, straight line speed is just one of the issues for a brand like AMG. Electric vehicles carry a lot of mass that can pose challenges if you’re trying to maneuver on a road course.

        But it seems clear that it is, more  than anything, a matter of time until AMG is back with an all-electric.

        Don’t be surprised to see Daimler go to a plug-based version of its most expensive products, either.

        The Maybach brand was launched as a standalone operation in 2002. But it never came close to the 2,000 annual sales target and was abandoned in 2013 – only to make an unexpected return a year later. This time, it is known as the Mercedes-Maybach, with its current offerings based on the latest version of the S-Class. The revised formula is paying off, noted Zetsche, sales in China alone now topping 500 a month.

        The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6.

        “We’ll see even more variation to Maybach in the future,” said Zetsche. That’s being built into the next-generation S-Class, he suggested.

        (Mercedes planning flood of new compact models. Click Here to learn more.)

        But could Maybach get a truly unique product, as it did when it was a fully standalone brand? The CEO isn’t saying, but Daimler did give a hint with the debut of its Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

        Significantly, that impossibly long-nosed coupe used a battery-electric drivetrain. And that might make sense in the not-too-distant future considering global mileage and emissions standards, as well as the likelihood a number of cities in Europe and Asia will begin barring all but zero-emissions vehicles.

        (Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 looks back at the future. Click Here for more on this retro-futuristic concept.)

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        2023 Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow nose REL

        The End of an Era for Rolls-Royce

        Yesterday
        Scout in neon on grille

        South Carolina Provides $1.29 Billion Incentive for new Scout Factory

        Yesterday
        2018 Hyundai Sonata front

        Hyundai and Kia Criticized about Stolen Car Problems by Attorneys General

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: