A Grand Open-Air Statement: The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet
Monterey Car Week has always been the stage where coachbuilt pedigree meets modern extravagance, but when Mercedes-Benz wheeled the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet onto the manicured lawns of Pebble Beach in August 2017, the atmosphere shifted. Measuring nearly six meters from its pinstriped prow to its tapered stern, this all-electric roadster is not simply an exercise in nostalgic styling. It is an unapologetic, full-scale manifesto for open-top ultra-luxury, blending pre-war art deco proportions with an electric powertrain delivering 550 kW (750 hp).
Just one year after revealing the crimson Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Coupé at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the team led by Daimler AG Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener decided to take off the roof. In doing so, they created a machine that pays direct homage to the hand-finished custom cabriolets of the 1930s—machines where sweeping bonnets stretched toward the horizon and passenger quarters were deliberately intimate, wrapped in nautical tailoring and uncompromising craftsmanship.
Art Deco Proportions and the Sensual Purity Philosophy
To grasp the sheer scale of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet, consider the raw figures: 5,700 mm in length, 2,100 mm in width, and standing a mere 1,340 mm tall. In standard imperial measurements, that translates to almost nineteen feet of automotive presence riding low to the road. The hood seems practically endless, a conscious echo of the golden age when massive straight-eight and twelve-cylinder aero-derived powerplants required aircraft-hangar sheet metal ahead of the firewall. Here, however, that sprawling length serves an entirely new purpose under the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy of Sensual Purity.
Rather than relying on aggressive creases, hard edges, or visual clutter, Wagener’s styling team sculpted organic, voluptuous curves defined by a singular, continuous shoulder line. This sharp feature crease begins at the edges of the radiator grille, runs smoothly above the front wheel arches, sweeps horizontally along the car’s flanks, and resolves only at the tail. The lower surfaces curve inward, giving the body a lightness that contradicts its colossal footprint. It is dramatic, sculpture-first car design that treats metal as liquid silk.
Nautical Blue Metallic, Chrome Accents, and Pinstriped Couture
Where the 2016 Coupé stunned spectators with its vibrant Maybach Red paintwork, the 2017 Cabriolet chooses an aristocratic Nautical Blue Metallic. The deep, multi-layered navy paint provides a rich backdrop for an array of bespoke chrome highlights. Thin chrome spears crown the tops of the arched front fenders, drawing the eye rearward, while another chrome spine traces the center seam of the rear deck lid, subtly incorporating vertical third brake lights.
Dominating the front end is an imposing interpretation of the Mercedes-Maybach radiator grille. Rather than a conventional honeycomb mesh, the grille presents a cascade of slender vertical chrome struts. Designers took direct inspiration from the refined elegance of a bespoke pinstriped suit. The grille assembly rests on twin aerodynamically sculpted airfoils mounted on the outer edges of the lower bumper, channeling cooling air along the front brake assemblies while underscoring the concept’s aerodynamic purpose.
Boat Tail Styling and Rose Gold Centre-Lock Wheels
No detail highlights the seafaring aesthetic more vividly than the rear styling. The tail extends outward and rounds smoothly into an authentic boat tail shape, mirroring the tapered stern of a handcrafted wooden runabout or a multi-million-dollar ocean yacht. Extremely slim horizontal tail light ribbons are recessed into the outer corners of the rear bodywork, accentuating the vehicle’s immense two-meter width without cluttering the clean expanse of sheet metal. Below the deck, a sculpted rear diffuser framed in brushed aluminum integrates functional air vents positioned directly behind the rear wheel arches.
Filling the arches are newly developed 24-inch multi-spoke light-alloy wheels equipped with motorsport-style center-lock nuts. In a signature design flourish shared across Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle design studies, these center locks are finished in polished rose gold. The wheels feature narrow, closely spaced spokes that give the impression of fine turbine blades, anchoring the roadster with purposeful mechanical weight.
Should the weather in Carmel turn brisk, the cabin is protected by a bespoke, tailor-made fabric soft top. Woven throughout the dark textile are delicate, genuine rose gold threads that glint subtly when struck by the California sunshine. The soft top retracts cleanly beneath a tonneau finished in crystal white leather, maintaining the vehicle’s pure lines whether open to the sea breeze or closed against the elements.
The 360-Degree Open-Air Lounge: Haute Couture Meets Yachting
Stepping inside the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet is akin to boarding a bespoke private craft. Mercedes-Benz refers to the cabin architecture as an “inside-out” spatial layout. Instead of separating the cockpit into isolated seats and door cards, a single continuous ribbon of crystal white Nappa leather begins along the rear deck, wraps fluidly through the side panels, flows across the doors, and forms a floating horizontal seating bench before rising gracefully into the lower dashboard wing.
The upholstery craftsmanship draws on historic furniture construction. Utilizing traditional Chesterfield quilting techniques, the white leather is folded into precise diamond tufts and pinned to the underlying seat framing. Mercedes designers modernized this classic aesthetic: every single leather tufting button contains a miniature Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star, illuminated from behind by cool blue LED light. Below the occupants’ feet, yacht-grade open-pore wood planking runs along the floorboards, detailed with finely inlaid aluminum strips that reinforce the maritime theme.
Hyper-Analog Luxury and Intuitive Intelligence
Rather than burying the cabin under conventional rectangular touchscreens, the interior blends high-definition digital interfaces with tactile, analog instruments—a design language Mercedes terms hyper-analog luxury. A continuous, wrap-around digital glass display strip spans the entire perimeter of the cockpit, linking the doors, dashboard, and rear shelf into a unified information surface. Vital route data, climate parameters, and media controls illuminate directly within this dark glass band.
In contrast to the sweeping digital surfaces, the primary driver instrument binnacle features twin classic circular dials with authentic mechanical needles, encased in polished bright metal housings. Beneath the dashboard wing, three turbine-style air vents float like polished jet engines, offering manual airflow adjustments that feel solid and mechanical in an increasingly electronic world.
Down the center of the cabin, the transmission tunnel is transformed into a floating, transparent glass bridge. Blue fiber-optic strands run the length of this clear tunnel, pulsing dynamically to illustrate the real-time flow of electrical energy between the battery pack and the drive motors. Driver and passenger also benefit from dual head-up displays projected directly onto the windshield, presenting navigation instructions, points of interest, and contextual recommendations without pulling the driver’s gaze from the open road.
The concept’s digital interface incorporates an intelligent voice concierge. Rather than forcing the driver to memorize rigid syntax commands, the system processes conversational speech naturally, allowing the driver to ask for route diversions, check appointments synced to their digital calendar, or request local restaurant bookings effortlessly. Embedded biometric sensors integrated into the quilted seats monitor passenger vitals and posture, adjusting climate settings, seat heating, and ambient cabin lighting to optimize comfort during long journeys.
All-Electric Powertrain: 750 Horsepower and 350 kW Charging
Beneath the endless Nautical Blue bonnet, you will find no rumbling V12. Instead, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet relies on a state-of-the-art battery electric architecture. Four compact permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors are distributed across the axles, giving the two-seater fully variable all-wheel drive and precise torque vectoring capability.
Total system output stands at 550 kW, which translates to a formidable 750 horsepower. Despite the vehicle’s generous dimensions and luxury appointments, this electric powertrain propels the massive roadster from zero to 100 km/h (0–62 mph) in under four seconds. Maximum speed is electronically restricted to 250 km/h (155 mph), ensuring long-legged grand touring poise on unrestricted stretches of Autobahn.
A slim, flat high-voltage traction battery is packaged entirely within the underbody between the front and rear axles. This layout keeps the vehicle’s center of gravity low and preserves passenger compartment space. Daimler estimates the battery pack yields a driving range of over 500 kilometers on the European NEDC cycle, or comfortably over 200 miles according to United States EPA standards.
Equally notable for 2017 is the car’s electrical charging capability. Utilizing direct current (DC) fast charging via the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard, the architecture accommodates charging capacities of up to 350 kW. Hooked to a compatible high-power DC station, the Maybach can replenish roughly 100 kilometers (around 62 miles) of driving range in just five minutes, effectively eliminating the extended dwell times common to early electric vehicles.
A Defining Chapter in the Mercedes-Maybach Vision Series
The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet continues an ambitious series of boundary-pushing concept vehicles from Daimler AG. The sequence began with the rugged Vision Ener-G-Force revealed in Los Angeles in 2012, followed by the aggressive AMG Vision Gran Turismo in Sunnyvale in 2013, the urban autonomous Vision Tokyo in 2015, and the striking Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Coupé at Pebble Beach in 2016. Each project tasks the brand’s global design studios with interpreting cultural shifts and pushing aesthetic boundaries far into the coming decades.
For the Mercedes-Maybach sub-brand, the Cabriolet serves as a bold design north star. While series-production models like the Mercedes-Maybach S 560 4MATIC and the V12-powered S 650 sedan deliver unmatched executive transport in 2017, and the strictly limited 300-unit Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Cabriolet proved the appetite for six-figure open-top craftsmanship, the Vision 6 Cabriolet represents something far grander. It demonstrates that the transition to zero-emission electric mobility does not demand sterile shapes or utilitarian compromises. When executed with art deco passion, haute couture materials, and uninhibited proportions, the open-top automobile remains the pinnacle of personal indulgence.
Vehicle data
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Make | Mercedes-Maybach |
| Model | Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet |
| Generation / chassis code | Concept study |
| Model year(s) covered | 2017 |
| Body style | 2-seater luxury open-top cabriolet / roadster |
| Powertrain / engine | All-electric; 4 permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors with underfloor battery pack |
| Power / torque | 550 kW (750 hp) / Not stated in sources |
| Transmission | Direct-drive electric transmission |
| Drivetrain | All-wheel drive |
| Key performance figures | 0–100 km/h in < 4.0 seconds; top speed electronically limited to 250 km/h (155 mph); >500 km range (NEDC) / >200 miles (EPA); up to 350 kW DC fast charging |
| Price (as stated) | Not stated in sources (one-off design concept) |
| On-sale / announcement period | World debut August 2017 at Monterey Car Week / Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance |
| Market | Global concept study / showcase |