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  • Drew Dowdell
    Drew Dowdell

    By Drew Dowdell •

    Maybach to Build SUV in Alabama

      Will be most expensive vehicle built in North America

    Mercedes-Benz has annouced that the new Maybach SUV, built on the Mercedes-Benz GLS will be built exclusively in Alabama.  With an expected price over $200,000, the new SUV will then be the most expensive vehicle to be built in the U.S. 

    1MAYBACH-01_i.jpgMercedes-Benz plans to expand the Maybach brand to other models where it makes sense in the upper end of the Mercedes lineup. 

    The Mercedes Maybach GLS will have a V8 with north of 560 horsepower and will likely debut in China later this year. The vehicle is aimed primarily at the chauffeur driven population in China and as such, the rear seats are set up in a lounge like fashion.

    The Alabama operation is also getting battery manufacturing operations, more than twice the size of the original assembly plant, due to build EQ vehicles starting in 2020.  The factory, which is capable of producing more than 300,000 units a year, exports approximately two-thirds of its production.  

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    Paolino

    Oh good, I was wondering what they were going to do with those old Park Avenue grilles... glad to see them repurposed.  Are those turbine wheels from the grounded Boeings?

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    Drew Dowdell
    Just now, Paolino said:

    Oh good, I was wondering what they were going to do with those old Park Avenue grilles... glad to see them repurposed.  Are those turbine wheels from the grounded Boeings?

    I knew you would like those wheels @Paolino

    I wonder where they're going to put the big black lump on the front for the adaptive cruise control sensor. 

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    smk4565

    I am glad they confirmed what we all knew would happen with a Maybach GLS.  Building in the US with export to China is interesting with the current tariff situation and trade war but maybe Mercedes predicts those won’t be a factor post 2020...  or maybe there is so much profit margin that they don’t care.

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    Drew Dowdell
    25 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

    I am glad they confirmed what we all knew would happen with a Maybach GLS.  Building in the US with export to China is interesting with the current tariff situation and trade war but maybe Mercedes predicts those won’t be a factor post 2020...  or maybe there is so much profit margin that they don’t care.

    They'll just mark the car up that much more. 

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    ykX
    2 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

    And the Escalade looks far better (on the outside) than that hideous monstrosity.  

    Have to agree.  This thing is pretty ugly.

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    oldshurst442

    And here we are...

    NONE of us have complained and dissed this design! Other than Dfelt (And Paolino) but he ended up getting trolled for it too! Yet we all vehemently try to find ANY LITTLE THING Cadillac does and we harp on it.  And THAT is the surprising thing...NOBODY has BLASTED it like how the XT6 has been blasted, or the new CT5...

    THAT is what I find shameful.

    If anything, this crossover thing is unispiring and ugly and far from luxury a vehicle can get...(on the outside)

    Mercedes posted this rendering a while back ago...I saw an AMC Eagle sedan then with the design, as I do now!

    Résultats de recherche d'images pour « amc eagle sedan »

     

    Horrible, for a 2020 luxury vehicle!

     

     

     

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    ccap41
    7 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

    And the Escalade looks far better (on the outside) than that hideous monstrosity.  

    Oh I definitely agree. I'm just saying that the Escalade is the perfect example of putting lipstick on a pig. A 30k pickup truck dressed up to a 100k luxury SUVs. 

    People say all SUVs are just lifted cars... THIS is exactly that. 

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    Robert Hall

    Who knows what the production version will look like, though.  Remember, the red thingy was just a concept.  The production version will probably look like the new GLS w extra bling inside and out.  I.e. look like a large luxury SUV.

    Edited by Robert Hall
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    oldshurst442
    6 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

    I mean, nothing I said wasn't accurate... 

    MMMM...

    maybe 20 years ago...you are right with that comment.

    But since the 3rd and 4rth générations of the Escalade, not at all accurate...but yeah...trying a tad too hard to troll Dfelt, tho. Hey... even the 2nd gen Escalade was not that bad...better than this rendering anyhow...(and yes rendering as we do not know if M-B will be doing this crossover monstrosity that way...)

     

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    ccap41
    1 minute ago, oldshurst442 said:

    MMMM...

    maybe 20 years ago...you are right with that comment.

    But since the 3rd and 4rth générations of the Escalade, yeah...trying a tad too hard to troll Dfelt. Even the 2nd gen Escalade was not that bad...better than this rendering anyhow...(and yes rendering as we do not know if M-B will be doing this crossover monstrosity that way...)

     

    Bad? I never said any of them were bad. Every Escalade ever has been built on the Silverado's chassis. I never said anything negative about the Escalade, just that it was a dressed up Silverado, because it is. 

    I never said they used Dollar General lipstick. They're using fancy lipstick from MAC. 

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    oldshurst442
    Just now, ccap41 said:

    Bad? I never said any of them were bad. Every Escalade ever has been built on the Silverado's chassis. I never said anything negative about the Escalade, just that it was a dressed up Silverado, because it is. 

    I never said they used Dollar General lipstick. They're using fancy lipstick from MAC. 

    splitting hairs and being defensive...

    cool with me. Everything is all right!

    Résultats de recherche d'images pour « wrong answer gif »

     

    Not on the Tahoe using a version of a Silverado chassis and the 'Slade being on the Tahoe chassis...

    In which Cadillac, since the 3rd gen 'Slade has done a fantabulous job of using MAC lipstick on it...

    But your whole notion trying to troll Dfelt because he said this M-B was a pig with lipstick on it...

    Why even bring up the Escalade in the 1st place?

    Its OK...I really dont care about us bickering back and forth...

    Ive moved on from that.  Sorry I even bothered with this discussion.

    Ill just refrain from posting in the future regarding sensless trolling...

     

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    surreal1272
    33 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

    Oh I definitely agree. I'm just saying that the Escalade is the perfect example of putting lipstick on a pig. A 30k pickup truck dressed up to a 100k luxury SUVs. 

    People say all SUVs are just lifted cars... THIS is exactly that. 

    Where is this $30K pickup you speak of (sidestepping the fact that it basically shares a frame only with said pick up) LOL? 

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    Drew Dowdell
    39 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

    Bad? I never said any of them were bad. Every Escalade ever has been built on the Silverado's chassis. I never said anything negative about the Escalade, just that it was a dressed up Silverado, because it is. 

    I never said they used Dollar General lipstick. They're using fancy lipstick from MAC. 

    Calling them "just a silverado" ignores the better materials and components that go into the Cadillac. Aside from the obvious interior differences... they even change things like the wheel bearings on the Escalade... I don't know what magic they put in them, but those bearing make a huge difference on the Escalade and they glide like glass. Bigger brakes, bigger wheels, better interior, substantially bigger standard engine, 10-speed automatic by default.    It's lipstick, a boob job, botox, jaw fillers, lipo, and a butt lift..... not just the lipstick. 

    Lipstick would have been the first generation. 

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    G. David Felt
    24 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

    Calling them "just a silverado" ignores the better materials and components that go into the Cadillac. Aside from the obvious interior differences... they even change things like the wheel bearings on the Escalade... I don't know what magic they put in them, but those bearing make a huge difference on the Escalade and they glide like glass. Bigger brakes, bigger wheels, better interior, substantially bigger standard engine, 10-speed automatic by default.    It's lipstick, a boob job, botox, jaw fillers, lipo, and a butt lift..... not just the lipstick. 

    Lipstick would have been the first generation. 

    Totally agree, I DO NOT know what the Wheel Bearings are, but my Escalade ESV glides so fast and far compared to my GMC Suburban SLE. The quality of bearings is truly noticeable besides all the other plastic surgery that has been done.

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    Robert Hall
    4 minutes ago, dfelt said:

    Totally agree, I DO NOT know what the Wheel Bearings are, but my Escalade ESV glides so fast and far compared to my GMC Suburban SLE. The quality of bearings is truly noticeable besides all the other plastic surgery that has been done.

    Your Suburban is also over a decade and a generation older than your Escalade, isn't it?  I'm sure they improved alot over that time...the mid 90s Suburbans were still very truckish.  

    I haven't driven an Escalade, but drove a couple '15 Tahoes around the Southwest on long weekends a few years ago and was impressed by how smooth and car-like they drove, better than the previous-gen '13 Yukon I had driven. 

    Edited by Robert Hall
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    ccap41
    30 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

    Calling them "just a silverado" ignores the better materials and components that go into the Cadillac. Aside from the obvious interior differences... they even change things like the wheel bearings on the Escalade... I don't know what magic they put in them, but those bearing make a huge difference on the Escalade and they glide like glass. Bigger brakes, bigger wheels, better interior, substantially bigger standard engine, 10-speed automatic by default.    It's lipstick, a boob job, botox, jaw fillers, lipo, and a butt lift..... not just the lipstick. 

    Lipstick would have been the first generation. 

    I never said they were "just a Silverado". If youi're going to quote me, just quote what I actually said. 

    Yes, I know all of this. It's a completely redressed up Silverado the same way the Expedition is a completely redressed F150. 

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    G. David Felt
    8 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

    Your Suburban is also over a decade and a generation older than your Escalade, isn't it?  I'm sure they improved alot over that time...the mid 90s Suburbans were still very truckish.  

    I haven't driven an Escalade, but drove a couple '15 Tahoes around the Southwest on long weekends a few years ago and was impressed by how smooth and car-like they drove, better than the previous-gen '13 Yukon I had driven. 

    That is very true Robert, I am lucky enough to get a new Escalade when I drop mine off for service and it glides even smoother. The service center has confirmed with me via phone call that while the Chevrolet and GMC use the same bearing part, the Escalade has a different part number and does indeed look different. I would have to assume this is a higher quality bearing assembly.

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    surreal1272
    2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

     

    Silverado.PNG

    That was a joke cap, hence the “LOL”. Having worked at a Chevy dearlship last year, I can tell you that you will not find ONE Silverado for under $35K, even a V6 work truck.

     

    On the serious side though, it means nothing that the Slade uses the 1500’s frame because that is literally the only it has in common with it. The price of the 1500 is irrelevant, knowing that little fact.

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    balthazar

    We should probably get something straightened out here (of course- this will bounce completely off the tin ear of one member here) : There is no "Silverado frame". General Motors and the various divisions involved engineer & design a frame to underpin a number of vehicles from the clean sheet stage. In many cases a Tahoe is built on it, in others; an Escalade (and there are further differences & upgrades).

    An 'Escalade rides on a Tahoe' frame is every bit as legitimate as 'a Tahoe rides on an Escalade frame'.

    In other words; yes, these products are from the came company but no; the part doesn't 'belong' to one model over another.

    In still other words- this is not a point that carries any weight, water or importance.

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