The new Mercedes-Maybach S600.

With sales of its new super-premium line set to begin barely three months from now, Daimler AG has announced a price tag of $189,350 for the new Mercedes-Maybach S600.

The maker’s new sub-brand is looking at other options to flesh out its line-up, with Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche telling British publication Auto Express that a super-premium SUV is “most likely” going to follow.

It would join a small but growing list of ultra-expensive sport-utility vehicles, Bentley this week confirming it will call its upcoming ute the Bentayga when it reaches market later this year. Maserati, meanwhile, will launch the new Levante for the 2016 model-year, while Rolls-Royce is reportedly looking at an SUV of its own.

But Maybach will start out with a stretched and upgraded version of the familiar S-Class. For that nearly $190,000 a buyer will get an extra 8 inches in length, most of it dedicated to rear seat passengers. The interior will be significantly upgraded, as well, with such features as quilted leather seats. And to make it easier for rear occupants to communicate with the hired help up front, there’ll be a “voice amplification system” that will automatically adjust its boost depending on the speaker’s volume and ambient noise levels.

The U.S. price tag is about $20,000 more than what the new Maybach will start at in Germany – in part reflecting the powertrain that will be standard in the States.

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The S600 will feature a biturbo 6.0-liter V-12 punching out a hefty 530 horsepower and 612 pound-feet of torque. For such a big vehicle, the estimated fuel economy of 20.1 mpg might come as a surprise. But that is using the European cycle test and is also expected to come down significantly in the American EPA numbers.

To put the price of the new S600 into perspective, a Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG sedan goes for $142,375. On the other hand, the new ultra-lux model might be considered a veritable bargain compared to the original sedans offered when Maybach operated as a true, standalone brand. U.S. buyers paid around $340,000 for the M57, and $430,000 for the M62 S, with the Maybach Landaulet semi-convertible demanding a stiff $1 million.

That may explain why the brand failed on its own – though analysts suggest the problem was a lack of brand identity, especially when the other alternatives in that rarified niche were well-established British marques Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

But after pulling Maybach from production, Daimler officials had second thoughts. “There is that customer who wants the next step up, and if we don’t provide it we might lose them,” stressed Steve Cannon, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, in a conversation with TheDetroitBureau.com late last year.

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The automaker’s new approach pairs the Maybach name and badge with that of the familiar Mercedes.

And, as Zetsche seems to be suggesting, the Mercedes-Maybach brand will eventually offer a broader line-up of products targeting the most elite buyers in the automotive world.

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