Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept debuts in Monterey with sleek style, electric power

The Mercedes-Maybach 6 is a sexy look at the future of the brand.

Mercedes-Maybach, the super luxury division of Mercedes-Benz, has unveiled a new concept car at the Monterey Car Week in California. Known as the Mercedes-Maybach 6, the all-electric two-door was inspired by the aero coupe style that was popular during the first half of the 1900s.

Checking in at 18.5-feet in length (or nearly a foot longer than the Mercedes-Maybach S600 sedan), the Mercedes-Maybach 6 is a larger-than-life coupe with a heavy emphasis on style. Classic styling elements include a long hood, low roofline and "boat tail” rear-end. Other styling details include a front grille inspired by a pinstripe suit and split window in the rear. The Mercedes-Maybach 6 rides on 24-inch wheels pulled from the company's previous Concept IAA.

The interior of the Mercedes-Maybach 6 was created around the idea of a 360 degree lounge. As such the concept features plenty of flowing lines, including a center console that fuses with the twin bucket seats.

Controls are decidedly futuristic in the Mercedes-Maybach 6, with a wrap-around glass panel just above the dashboard providing readouts for maps and seat settings. The windshield itself serves as a digital readout that augments with the outside world. It displays things like vehicle speed and route guidance. In lieu of traditional buttons, the information displayed on the front windscreen is controlled via gestures.

The Mercedes-Maybach 6's futuristic controls also include "body sensor displays.” In a nutshell, the sensors continually monitor passengers and adjust temperature and massage features accordingly. The system can even detect the occupant's clothing color and adjust the lighting in the cabin to match.

Passengers can keep tabs on the vehicle's electric drive system via a display integrated into the center console. Mercedes says the display "visualizes the drive system's electrical energy flow” with a series of light movements. And, being a vehicle designed for the future, the Mercedes-Maybach 6 is capable of driving on its own.

The Mercedes-Maybach 6's high-tech items are contrast with traditional materials like leather and open-pore wood accents for a classic Mercedes feel.

"Our sensational coupe, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, represents the ultimate in contemporary luxury. It is hot and cool", said Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Daimler AG. "With its intelligent appeal and reduced, technoid look, it perfectly embodies our design philosophy of sensual purity and our pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency.”

The Mercedes-Maybach 6 is powered by four-electric motors (one in each wheel, providing the added grip of all-wheel drive) generating a total of 738 horsepower. Mercedes says the concept can accelerate from 0-62mph in under four seconds and hit a top speed of 155mph.

A battery placed low in the coupe's chassis provides enough juice for more than 200 miles of range. A quick charge feature allows the battery to achieve an additional 62 miles of range in just five minutes. The Mercedes-Maybach 6 can be charged via a traditional cord or by a wireless electromagnetic field.

Mercedes doesn't have any plans to put the Mercedes-Maybach 6 into regular production, but some of its design elements could make their way into future Mercedes-Benz products.