Mercedes-Benz unveils project Maybach Virgil Abloh, an electric concept show car at NMACC Mumbai, ET Auto

<p>The Project Maybach car will be on display at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre until October 2024, offering visitors a chance to honour Virgil Abloh’s legacy by experiencing one of his final projects.</p>
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Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Project Maybach Concept Car at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai.

The Project Maybach car, a futuristic and luxurious electric vehiclewas designed collaboratively by the late Virgil Ablohand Gordon Wagener. The car offers a vision of future electric travel with a focus on sophisticated luxury and inclusivity. The uniquely designed 2-seater, battery-electric off-road coupé showcases unprecedented creativity and craftsmanship, continuing the legacy of Mercedes-Maybach’s iconic status.

The Project Maybach car will be on display at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre until October 2024, offering visitors a chance to honour Virgil Abloh’s legacy by experiencing one of his final projects.

“Project Maybach is the ultimate luxury collaboration; presenting a vision of future aspirational design, of exploration combined with innovation, conceptualising future travel, and leading to a better and inclusive future. The vehicle underlines the brand’s commitment to reinvent sophisticated luxury while preserving Maybach’s exclusivity. This concept show car is Mercedes-Benz’s tribute to Late Virgil Abloh and particularly special to us, with Late Virgil Abloh, and Gorden Wagener collaborating to explore beyond Mercedes-Maybach’s iconic luxury, pushing the boundaries of function, style, and ultimate creativity,” Santosh IyerManaging Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, said.

The NMACC’s multidisciplinary cultural space serves as an ideal location to present this rare vehicle to the Indian audience. The Centre has previously showcased other Mercedes-Benz concept cars, including the Vision Maybach 6, the AMG GT 6, and the Concept EQG. “Customers and brand enthusiasts are thrilled by the stunning designs of our concept cars, including the highly emotive Vision Maybach 6, the AMG GT 6 or the Concept EQG. The exquisite Project Maybach is a testament to the enduring allure of Mercedes-Benz’s innovative designs and will generate excitement among discerning customers and automotive enthusiasts visiting the Centre,” he added.

“Mercedes-Benz is devastated with the passing of Virgil Abloh, a visionary, trusted partner, and collaborator. Our sincere thoughts will always be with Virgil’s family and teams. By showcasing Mercedes-Benz’s collaboration and Virgil’s unique vision to the Indian audience, we want to respectfully celebrate the work of a truly unique design talent, who created endless possibilities for collaboration through his unbridled imagination and inspired all who knew his work,” Iyer said.

The car, designed without constraints of production limitations, showcases a forward-thinking approach to luxury electric travel. “This exquisite and futuristic concept show car is designed by Late Virgil Abloh, and Gorden Wagener reimagining responsible vision of future design. Using complete creative freedom and untethered by production requirements, the design teams conceptualized a vision of future electric travel and created a design unlike anything that has ever been developed by Mercedes-Benz. Inspired by the great outdoors and recontextualizing a traditionally urban brand within a distinctly off-road environment, the 2-seater, battery-electric off-road coupé combines huge Gran Turismo proportions, large off-road wheels, and distinctive attachments.”

Since its initial launch during Miami Art Week on December 1, 2021, Project Maybach has garnered attention for its unique blend of visionary design and revolutionary approach to luxury. This model represents the second collaboration between Abloh and Wagener, combining innovation with a luxury aesthetic suited for off-road exploration. The car’s design includes a dashboard compass and solar cells concealed under a transparent hood, enhancing the range and blending exploration with high-end functionality.

“Both Late Virgil Abloh, and Gorden Wagener prioritized a forward-thinking approach to design. With complete creative freedom—unbound by production limitations—enabled the design teams to conceptualize a vision of the future of electric travel. For instance, the show car features solar cells hidden under its transparent hood, enhancing the range.”

The car’s aesthetic and functional elements are derived from outdoor inspiration, adapting Mercedes-Maybach’s traditionally urban brand to an off-road setting. “Drawing inspiration from the outdoors and adapting a traditionally urban brand for a unique off-road setting, the 2-seater battery-electric off-road coupé combines huge Gran Turismo proportions, large off-road wheels, and distinctive attachments.”

Overall, Project Maybach is a blend of state-of-the-art off-road capabilities and classic Maybach identity, setting a new standard for luxury vehicles. “Project Maybach embodies the perfect combination of state-of-the-art off-road capabilities and an extraordinary Maybach identity, defining the next level of luxury like we already did 100 years ago,” said Iyer. The car even inspired a limited-edition Mercedes-Maybach S-Class model released in 2022.