This news may not be so surprising if you have been keeping up with the latest trends in ultra-luxury vehicles. Manufacturers like Bentley and Maserati have already decided to move into the SUV market and signs say that Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini are not far behind. Now Ola Källenius, a member of the board of management of Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz Cars marketing and sales, has stated that an SUV "needs to be the highest exclusivity corner" for Maybach. He talked Maybach's future plans in an interview with CarAdvice.

There was a rumor floating around that Maybach would build a car based on the E-Class. Källenius squashed that rumor by explaining that the AMG lineup has room for a large range of vehicles, Maybach needs to maintain exclusivity. It is more likely that the next Maybach model will be based on the recently renamed GLS SUV. Its recent name change put it in line with the S-Class as the most luxurious SUV in the Mercedes lineup. Källenius said that it is "possible" that a Maybach could build a competitor for the Benthley Bentayga and Range Rover Autobiography. It is still unknown whether this new model would wait until 2019 when the next generation GLS comes out.

Källenius said that repositioning Maybach as an integrated part of Mercedes has worked out well. Sales in China now per month than they ever were during the brand's best years. SUVs have proved to be cash cows for automakers of all types, so it wouldn't be the craziest thing to see Maybach join the fray. Talk about a turnaround for a brand that was dead not too long ago.