Project Maybach is a high-riding luxury off-road coupe concept

Mercedes collaborated on the car with the late designer Virgil Abloh.

Project Maybach is not just an all-electric, sleek-looking concept. The design of the coupe was created by Virgil Abloh. Abloh died unexpectedly earlier this week. Abloh worked with Daimler chief Gorden Wagener on the Maybach, but they had total creative freedom. The end result is stunning Safari-like offroad vehicle with large tires and a roof rack.

The Maybach has an enormously long hood. But it’s much more than sheet metal real estate. The transparent hood has solar cells underneath, which extends the concept’s theoretical range. Other interesting styling elements include the embedded ax into the door jam and the box at the end the dashboard. This makes it look like something you could take on a hike. You can also fold the seats flat so you can sleep in the wilderness.

Although the Maybach was built entirely from scratch, it looks striking, its design is simple with straight lines, sharp edges, and simple shapes. But simple doesn’t mean boring or uninteresting. The contrast is provided by the two-tone black and tan paint scheme. Meanwhile, the cage in a tan color protects the greenhouse from the sun and provides the grand tourer with a large roof rack. The front is protected by a silver skid plate, brush guard and auxiliary lights. It also has a striking vertical grille. Rear features a skid plate and brush guard as well as a flat fascia featuring round taillights.

Abloh, who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called cardiac Angiosarcoma on November 28, died. Although he was diagnosed in 2019, he kept the details private. The automaker released a statement saying that Mercedes-Benz was shocked to learn of the death of Virgil Abloh. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Virgil’s loved ones.”

Mercedes will open the Rubell Museum today and tomorrow in honor of Abloh. This is to display the new Mercedes car. The museum was also open to students from local design schools.