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Mercedes-Maybach Pullman is the luxury car for the discerning dictator

For decades, Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Maybach cars have been the ride of choice for leaders across the globe, presidents, ambassadors, dictators and despots alike. The Pullman model — a long-wheelbase six-seat variant — has been particularly popular with this select clientele. This week, the German automaker announced the latest version of the car, the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman S650. Essentially, this is a stretched version of the V12-powered Maybach with two rear-facing seats just behind the front row. Mercedes is calling this vis-a-vis seating. There's also a partitioning glass between the front seats and the rear cabin. This is of course to help prevent the chauffeur from learning and spilling any state secrets or plans for plans for secret moon bases. New for this model is a front-facing camera for rear-seat passengers. This allows occupants to watch for any oncoming obstacles, barricades or road blocks. Visually, there's no mistaking the Pullman for another Maybach or really anything else on the road. The car is 21.3-feet long, 4.5-feet longer than the standard Maybach or roughly the size of two and a half Smart Fortwo placed bumper-to-bumper. The requisite 20-inch 10-hole wheels are present and the standard pinstripe Maybach grille has been updated with a slightly new design. The car only comes in S650 trim, meaning it's powered by a 630 horsepower 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12. As expected, the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman isn't cheap. Orders have started, but be prepared to shell out at least $615,000 before adding any custom touches. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Mercedes-Maybach Pullman View 10 Photos Image Credit: Daimler Design/Style Maybach Mercedes-Benz Luxury Special and Limited Editions Sedan mercedes-maybach mercedes-maybach pullman

Recharge Wrap-up: Honda FCV Concept comes to Detroit, Toyota seeks young green energy fellows

Honda will bring its FCV Concept to the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. The hydrogen-powered concept made its Japanese debut in November, and will now make its way to North America for the first time. The FCV concept improves upon the design of the FCX Clarity with a more striking appearance and roomier interior. Its smaller powertrain packaging means more space for people, and the FCV Concept seats five passengers. Honda also expects the next-generation fuel-cell car, which is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in March 2016, to cost less and have a range of over 300 miles. Read more in the press release below. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive has been awarded an environmental certificate from the TUV Sud technical inspection authority. The certificate is based not just on the vehicle's operation, but the entire lifecycle of the car, including production and recycling. The B-Class Electric Drive produces 24 percent less CO2 over its lifecycle than the Mercedes-Benz B180 when using the EU electricity mix, and 64 percent less when powered by hydroelectricity. Mercedes credits not just the use of electricity, but also the car's energy management system - such as its radar-based regenerative braking - for its carbon reductions. Read more in the press release below. Scania will test a wirelessly charged plug-in hybrid bus in Sweden. Beginning in June 2016, the bus will be put to daily use in Sodertalje. One of its stops will have a wireless charging station where the bus will recharge for six to seven minutes before continuing on its route again. The charger is located under the road surface and the bus positions itself above it to charge inductively. About $1.3 million will come from the Swedish Energy Agency to fund the test project, which could save up to 90 percent of fuel costs. If expanded to a fleet of 2,000 buses, it could save up to 13 million gallons of fuel each year. Read more at Green Car Congress, and in the press release below. Sandia National Laboratories and Linde are teaming up to expand hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The two groups have signed an agreement to research and develop new hydrogen stations, as well as ways to make fuel cell vehicles more desirable for consumers. They are looking at ways to incorporate hydrogen into existing fuel stations where possible, and make sure that it is able to be done safely.

2023 Mercedes-Maybach S 680 by Virgil Abloh is maximum fashion with a V12

If the Mercedes-Maybach S 680 wasn’t already exclusive enough for you, listen up. This is the limited-edition Maybach by Virgil Abloh version of the Mercedes-Maybach S 680, and there will only be 150 of them built for the world. The vehicle is the result of a collaboration between Virgil Abloh and Mercedes chief designer Gordon Wagener. Mercedes says the design was finalized prior to AblohÂ’s passing in November 2021. In case youÂ’re unfamiliar with Abloh, know that he was many things throughout his life. HeÂ’s known best for being a fashion designer and entrepreneur, but he was also an artist, philanthropist and architect. As for the car itself, the exterior uses a two-tone paint combo that you might recall from the Project Maybach electric off-road coupe. The bottom half is meant to make you think of sand, while the top half contrasts that in a glossy Obsidian Black finish. The window frames lose their bright look and are painted black to make it as monolithic as possible from the side. Even the forged wheels are painted in the sandy hue. The same theme continues for the interior. ItÂ’s a black and tan two-tone throughout, and MercedesÂ’ Nappa Leather is used to cover surfaces. A unique Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh logo is inscribed on the center console to denote this carÂ’s special-edition status. YouÂ’ll see the same logo on rear cushions, headrests and door sills. Mercedes even went so far as to modify the infotainment system and its controls for this special edition. The “home” button gets a sandy Abloh theme, and so do the selectable apps on screen. TheyÂ’re decorated with fashion accessories, and theyÂ’re hopefully still as easy to depict and use as MercedesÂ’ standard MBUX icons. As for extras beyond the car itself, every one of these special-edition models comes with a wooden box emblazoned with the Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh logo. Inside the box, youÂ’ll find a 1:18 replica of the car, a carabiner hook and your two keys. YouÂ’re also going to get a car cover featuring the Virgil Abloh logo with the car, but this one doesnÂ’t fit in the box. If you really want to look the part next to your car, there is a whole line of clothing designed by Virgil Abloh that is launching today, too. It comprises clothing done in shades and hues similar to the car, so you can truly look the part hopping out of your Virgil Abloh Mercedes-Maybach.