The world isn’t short of Mercedes-Benz SUVs. Indeed, if you’re prepared to consider the GLE and GLC coupes as distinct models, then the company now produces no fewer than seven distinct utes, from the hatchback-like GLA to the mighty military-grade G-class known as the Geländewagen. But the company’s R&D boss says there are more in the works, with a range-topping Mercedes-Maybach version of the GLS deemed most likely.
We already know that the number will grow with the crossover members of the forthcoming EQ electric sub-brand, including the model it will launch with in 2019. But when we spoke to Ola Källenius at the Detroit auto show, he confirmed that the company does indeed have plans to broaden its SUV offering.
“I don’t believe SUVs have peaked. Twenty years ago, when we launched the first M-class—now the GLE—we were the first people to venture into the premium-SUV segment, and it was unclear how that would develop,” Källenius said. “We have more ideas in that segment, but that doesn’t mean the passenger sedan is dead. I think the key is variety. The individual wishes of customers also drive our ability to widen the portfolio.”
With few obvious gaps in the existing lineup, which spans the market from the $33,775 for a basic GLA to the nearly $221,000 G65 AMG, we believe that Mercedes is actively considering using the Maybach nameplate on a forthcoming range-topping luxury SUV aimed at the Bentley Bentayga and the increasingly altitudinous upper reaches of the Range Rover lineup.
Company insiders have previously indicated that we can expect to see a Maybach spun from the next-generation GLS, and although Källenius wouldn’t confirm such a project exists, he certainly didn’t deny it, directly referencing the Maybach versions of the S-class: “We’re watching that [space] very carefully. The GLS in our portfolio is the S-class of SUVs. Could we do more? Possibly, yes.”
It sounds as if we’re going to be writing about new Mercedes SUV variants for a while longer.
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