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2017 Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet includes guaranteed exclusivity

For certain buyers, the only thing better than a super-luxurious cabriolet that requires enormous sums of money to buy is a a super-luxurious cabriolet that money can't buy. That's what Daimler promises with the 2017 Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show. Limited to 300 units worldwide and just 75 in the US, having just three available color combinations magnifies the exclusivity. Turning the Mercedes-Benz S-Class cabrio into a droptop worthy of the Maybach family means slight revisions outside and in, and a whole lot of Maybach badges. Instead of the three lower intakes familiar from Mercedes' corporate language, there's black mesh highlighted by a shiny design element. It's not the most graceful face from dead-on, looking sort of like a chrome-lined grimace picked up from Wallace and Gromit. A Maybach emblem adorns the fenders and gleaming kickplates, the 20-inch wheels add an edge to the brand's traditional dinner-plate design. The 6.0-liter, twin-turbo V12 carries over from the donor convertible, with the same 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque hooked up to a seven-speed automatic transmission. The only three color treatments available in the US will be Zircon Red with a porcelain and black interior and a black top, Cote d'Azur Blue with a porcelain and saddle interior and a beige top, and Designo Diamond White with a porcelain and Yacht Blue interior with a dark blue top. The cabin works nautical themes lifted in part from the Mercedes-Benz Style Arrow 460-Granturismo yacht. Perforations in the leather seats evoke waterfalls. The "Flowing Lines" trim ornamenting the seats comes two different colors depending on the exterior hue; either "Piano lacquer" black with the Zircon Red or Magnolia Nut Brown with the other two options. Buyers will find profuse badging in embroidered, embossed, and inlaid varieties, as well as chrome-plated "1 of 300" lettering in several places like the cup holder and steering wheel. The few lucky customers who buy an S650 will also find a four-piece set of Maybach-badged luggage in the truck, two travel bags and two weekenders tooled up in the same leather as the interior. The key fob gets finished in Porcelain leather. A car cover comes standard, in the same color as the convertible top. A certificate signed by the mustachioed one, Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche, provides the corporate-badged icing on the cake.

Mercedes-Maybach SUV concept: Vision Ultimate Luxury interior teased

Mercedes-Maybach posted a teaser video of what it calls "the ultimate in luxury" last week, saying that the featured, yet-to-be-named vehicle would be presented in the Beijing Motor Show. Now there's a teaser sketch giving us a wider look of the concept's interior, as well as a name. The concept also has a name by now: the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury. We guess that might have been coming, even if the name isn't exactly concise. But, the accompanying release also informs us that the concept is a combination of a high-end sedan and an SUV, confirming that it is indeed the high-riding vehicle that's been rumored for a while. The interior sketch also shows a very wide center console with stylized grab handles, which suit the SUV dimensions and aesthetic, without being as trucklike as the Maybach G650 Landaulet's interior. As well as the lavish two-tone color scheme and the touch of wood on the door panel, the concept interior shows a wide color instrument display ahead of the driver. The gear selectors are paddle shifters next to the chunky steering wheel rim, and the controls seem to have been grouped on the wheel's spokes, leaving just a few switches on the dashboard. Autocar reports that the concept will be followed by a 2019 production version, slated to debut at the Los Angeles show at the end of this year. It would be based on the Mercedes-Benz GLS, but with a more bespoke design inside out, as hinted by the concept. Basing it on the GLS would mean Mercedes would be manufacturing it at the Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama, making it the first Maybach built in the U.S. Related Video: Image Credit: Mercedes-Maybach Beijing Motor Show Maybach Mercedes-Benz SUV Concept Cars Luxury mercedes-maybach

VW could look outside its own ranks for next CEO

Companies have two options when coming up with succession plans – hire within, or go outside its ranks. Either choice comes with advantages and disadvantages, to be sure. Hiring within means generally getting someone familiar with the company and its culture and traditions, while going outside is ideal if you're looking to shake things up and bring in fresh ideas. It's unclear which avenue the Volkswagen Group will go down when it comes time to replace its head man, Herr Professor Doctor Doctor Herr Martin Winterkorn, but he isn't ruling out a trip outside of Wolfsburg. Winterkorn has already given the reins of the VW brand to former BMW board member Herbert Diess, while Andreas Renschler, a former Daimler board member, is heading up VW's truck group. Now, Winterkorn has made some statements to a German weekly that indicate the most important thing about his successor isn't necessarily his (or her, though no women appear to be on the short-list) previous employer, Motoring.com.au is reporting, so much as his qualities as a leader and an engineering background. "A Volkswagen boss has to have a big affinity to our products. He needs to be close to customers and he needs to have a relationship with dealers," Winterkorn told Stern. "Like always, it depends on the personality and it also helps if the candidate is an engineer." Motoring throws out a couple of potential candidates from within, including Porsche boss Mathias Muller, Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler and engineering guru Ulrich Hackenberg, in addition to both Diess and Renschler. And while each candidate has a lot of potential, the only thing that's guaranteed right now is what Winterkorn has already said: "The decision about who will succeed me is not an easy one for the supervisory board."