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Mercedes-Maybach spied inside and out sporting the huge S-Class screen

A new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is well on its way, and that means a new Mercedes-Maybach is following right behind it. We were introduced to the new Mercedes-Maybach strategy over five years ago. At the end of 2019, Mercedes added to the small collection with the GLS 600, bringing an SUV into the Maybach fold. These spy shots mark our first good look inside and outside the next-gen Mercedes-Maybach sedan. We’ll point out the massive screen first. Photos of this huge slab of screen have largely shown it turned off. Now, we get a solid look at the display all lit up and running MercedesÂ’ next iteration of MBUX. The icons and UX look a whole lot like MercedesÂ’ current infotainment system design, just blown up to a much larger size. Mercedes is surely going to hit us with some new out-there features we didnÂ’t know we wanted and may not even use, but thatÂ’s the way it goes with excessive luxury. The gauge cluster is pretty standard for new Mercedes with a flat digital screen. An “EQ” emblem displayed in the cluster also indicates that Mercedes plans to implement its EQ Boost mild-hybrid tech with the turbocharged engine(s) offered in this new generation. The current car comes in S560 (V8) and S600 (V12) variations. We don't know what MercedesÂ’ powertrain plans are for the time being, but the GLS 600 uses 48-volt technology with its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and makes 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. Ideally, the smooth and silky V12 sticks around in the top-shelf S-Class as well. As for the design, itÂ’s exactly what one might expect from a Mercedes-Maybach. The wheelbase is stretched compared to the regular S-Class weÂ’ve spied before, and it has the signature slatted grille. Pop-out door handles appear to be carried over from the new S-Class, too. We expect the new S-Class isnÂ’t far from a reveal. ThereÂ’s a chance it still breaks cover this year, even as most automakers face delays from the coronavirus. Once itÂ’s out, the Mercedes-Maybach is likely to follow soon after. Related video:

2016 Japanese Grand Prix | Hamilton faces the beginning of the end

We're told the Japanese mamushi viper haunts the undergrowth around Suzuka. If the pit viper attended the weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, it avoided human visitors but it put a nasty bite on Lewis Hamilton's championship hopes. The Briton, lined up second on the grid next to Mercedes-AMG Petronas teammate Nico Rosberg, flubbed his start. By the end of Turn 1 Hamilton was in eighth. Hamilton didn't suffer alone. The beginning of the race was a melee; many of the leaders got caught out either by the damp track or by having to swerve around slow starters. Only Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Red Bull's Max Verstappen took off clean. The German rolled up another lights-to-flag victory despite the pass-happy race happening behind him. Rosberg was as unbothered by the Dutchman in second place as he was by the official Formula 1 camera feed. Verstappen didn't have much work to do until the final ten laps of the race. Thanks to the Mercedes team's strategy – or Ferrari waiting too long to pit – Hamilton got up to third on Lap 36 of 53. Unable to make a DRS-enabled pass on Verstappen down the front straight toward the end of the race, the Mercedes driver took a creative line through Spoon corner. Closing in down the back straight, Hamilton jinked inside to try a pass through the final chicane. Verstappen moved over in the braking zone while Hamilton was still behind him, closing the door on the move. Hamilton protested over his team radio, but seemed resigned to a third place finish after the incident – he didn't try any more passes in the final laps. The Ferrari duo of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen crossed the line fourth and fifth, respectively, in recovery drives after penalties. The scuderia tried an aggressive final stint after Hamilton successfully undercut Vettel in the pits. Ferrari put Vettel on the soft-compound Pirellis so he could hunt the Mercedes, but after a few laps of close pursuit the tires gave up and Vettel fell back. Daniel Ricciardo couldn't get comfortable in his Red Bull the entire weekend. The Aussie finished where he started, in sixth place. Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg followed the Red Bull home in two-up formation for Force India, Williams doing the same in the final two points-paying positions with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas. Rosberg's 23rd career victory – his ninth of the season and first ever in Japan – puts him 33 points ahead of Hamilton in the Driver's Championship with four races left.

Maybach and Aston Martin alliance talks fall apart

If you have, like us, been salivating at the notion of a new generation of Maybach and Lagonda ultra-luxury crafts built by Aston Martin, we've got some bad news: According to reports emanating from Germany, talks between AML and Daimler have broken down.
The proposal under negotiation would have seen Daimler outsourcing production of the next family of Maybach models to Aston Martin, which in return would benefit from Mercedes-Benz platforms and engines - not only for its svelte GTs, but also for its own future Lagonda line of limousines and luxury SUVs. That, and a boatload of money - or at least that's what AML was reportedly seeking, an issue that served as the stumbling block over which the deal reportedly collapsed.
That's not to say the two parties couldn't still reach some sort of a compromise, but short of that, Daimler may opt to either shut down Maybach altogether, find another partner, or take another stab at building new models internally.