The Maybach GLS Will Probably Look Something Like This (But Better)

Mercedes is hard at work developing an all-new GLS-Class sport-ute. But it won’t be all about the Benz. There’ll be AMG performance versions too, and we’re anticipating an ultra-luxurious Maybach variant as well.

In fact we’re expecting Daimler’s top new crossover to show up first as a Maybach concept. And when it does, it could look a little something like this.

Created by Nikita Aksyonov and shared on Behance, these renderings ostensibly show the current GLS, updated with fresh details, and some traits we’ve seen on other Mercedes-Maybach models. Just look at the grille, the wheels, and all that chrome – not to mention the Double-M badges that designate Maybach Motorenbau (as the brand was known before being subsumed into Mercedes-Benz). It all looks familiar from Maybach’s takes on the S-Class sedan, S-Class cabrio, and G-Class landaulet.

We’re anticipating that the concept and the production model to look more significantly different from the existing GLS, and better resolved than these speculative renderings. The current model launched as the second-generation GL in 2012, and relaunched with a facelift (and the extra letter on its name) in 2016.

While the new Mercedes-Benz GLS will have to fend off advancements from the forthcoming new BMW X7, the Maybach version will be positioned further up-market to better take on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. It’ll also have to tangle with the likes of the Range Rover SVAutobiography and Bentley Bentayga in the rapidly escalating battle for the very pinnacle of the luxury SUV marketplace, where even the top versions of Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Lexus LX, and Infiniti QX80 will have trouble keeping up.