Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Maybach - , 2016.

Mercedes-Maybach Pullman stretches its way to Geneva.

Mercedes-Benz is known the world over for producing luxury automobiles, but even among Benzes there's a hierarchy. The S-Class sits at the top of the Mercedes range, the Maybach at the top of the S-Class, and what you see here sits at the top of the Maybach line. It's the new Pullman limousine, and it arrives on the 50th anniversary of the original.

Stretching a massive 21.3 feet, the new Mercedes-Maybach Pullman is even longer than the previous Maybach 62 by a full foot, and a good 3.5 feet longer than the standard-wheelbase Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, or two feet longer than the G63 AMG 6x6. In other terms, it's over a foot longer than the Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB, and the better part of a yard longer than even the Cadillac Escalade ESV. Heck, you could just about fit Benz's other flagship, the Mercedes-AMG GT, inside the new Pullman's 14.5-foot wheelbase. As if that's not enough, it also stands 3.9 inches higher than a standard S-Class to the benefit of its imposing presence and interior space.

 The 50th birthday of the best-known Pullman sedan of them all, the Mercedes-Benz 600, is set to coincide with a special debut at the Geneva Motor Show: the launch of the new Pullman. Mercedes-Maybach's second model will assume the top-of-the-range position, with vis-à-vis seating in the passenger compartment and high-end automotive luxury that is traditionally associated with Maybach.

Its length of 21.3 feet (6.50 meters) alone is a sign of the special status of the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman. It provides space for a generously-sized and tastefully-appointed club lounge in the rear, which has a multitude of creature comforts fitted as standard. This chauffeur-driven limousine is more than equal to today's demands for the ultimate in exclusivity and luxury. The VIP occupants sit on two standard-specification executive seats facing the direction of travel. They can enjoy the greatest legroom in the segment; and can get into and out of the car with the greatest of ease and comfort. As is typical for a Pullman, the four passengers can sit facing each other in the compartment with an electrically-operated partition window. The prices for unarmoured models start at around half a million euros (as of mid-February 2015, EURO 500,000 = USD $566,922); the first customers will be taking delivery of their vehicles, which of course offer unrivalled scope for individualization, at the beginning of 2016 (this model is TBD for the U.S. market).