Mercedes-Maybach's First-Ever Plug-In Hybrid Revealed

It's mainly an electric car first, with the engine only kicking on when the driver demands a lot of power or when the battery range is depleted. Altogether, it makes for an exceptionally efficient ride and one of the lowest CO₂ratings among hybrid luxury vehicles.

"With our first plug-in hybrid model, we are combining the luxury experience typical of Maybach with emission-free local driving when in electric driving mode," said Daniel Lescow, Head of Mercedes-Maybach. "The Mercedes-Maybach S580e represents a pivotal step in the transformation of our heritage brand into an electric future. We will present our first fully electric model as early as 2023."

That next electric model is slated to be theMercedes-Maybach EQS SUV. From the spy shots we've seen of it recently, it'snot looking too different from the Mercedes EQS SUV, at least on the outside. By the time it debuts, it should look a little more Maybachesque with a different paint job and whatnot, but as of right now, it has us scratching our heads a little.

As for this plug-in hybrid Maybach S-Class, it's only slated for the Chinese, Thai, and European markets, with other countries coming later. So it seems if the American uber-rich are looking for an extremely classy electric sedan, the Rolls-Royce Spectre or Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid are the only options available.