Following the unfortunate passing of fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, Mercedes has released a new concept car: Project Maybach.
The design teams for the concept EV were given complete freedom, working under the guidance of both Virgil Abloh and Gorden Wagener. The car is described as a “two-seater, battery-electric off-road coupé” created to conceptualise the future of electric travel.
Project Maybach is almost six meters in length, most of which is at the front (well, at least it appears that way), with the car sporting a massive bonnet. The car certainly looks futuristic, and its front and rear skid-plates, off-road tires, bolt-on fenders, and the protective metal structure above the greenhouse demonstrate the vehicle's off-road nature.
The front of the car features a horizontal LED strip, an illuminated grille, and round LED headlights. Under the transparent bonnet sit a group of solar cells which would contribute to a longer electric range.
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The interior of the car is minimalist and luxurious, with a desert themed colour-scheme. There are two very futuristic looking seats, both of which can fold flat. The dashboard has a centrally mounted digital instrument cluster and retro-styled metal knobs. Again representing the car's off-road nature, is multiple storage compartments for outdoor equipment, like the Maybach-branded ax that is integrated on the door inserts.
The car was released in honour of Virgil Abloh, who sadly passed away on November 28 at the age of 41 after being diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma in 2019. Abloh was an American architect, creative director, fashion designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He was the founder and CEO of the Off-White label and had been the creative director for Louis Vuitton’s menswear collections since 2018.
The company issued the following statement: “Mercedes-Benz is devastated to hear of the passing of Virgil Abloh. Our sincere thoughts are with Virgil’s family and teams. Now opening the world of our collaboration, and Virgil’s unique vision, to the public 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 that knew his work.”
The car won't ever reach production, and wasn't intended to do so. It's a design study project, and is being showcased to the public at the Rubell Museum in Miami, Florida.
