At first glance it is easy to dismiss Jan Peisert's Smart Maybach concept as 100 percent crazy. After all, Maybach is known for its long and luxurious sedans, not for compact city cars. While that is true, don't forget the Aston Martin Cygnet. The English automaker, best known for its ultra-luxurious and powerful grand tourers, sold a tiny city car a few years back. That means the Smart Maybach concept isn't all that crazy, especially when you realize that Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach are all under one corporate roof.
Peisert's Smart Maybach concept features the grille and razor-thin headlights from the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept unveiled last year. The wheels were lifted directly from the Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet. On the insider there appears to be a mix of quilted leather and wood. We doubt Smart has dreams of breaking into the luxury segment, but if it does then Jan Peisert has given the company a pretty good blueprint to follow.
Upscale City Car Concepts
The Smart Maybach Concept Offers a Compact Luxury Driving Experience
Trend Themes
1. Luxury City Cars - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introducing luxury features and design elements into compact city cars to appeal to upscale consumers.
2. Compact Car Concepts - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing high-end concepts for compact city cars to attract luxury car enthusiasts and expand market share.
3. Cross-brand Collaboration - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Partnering with different brands under the same corporate umbrella to create unique and unexpected vehicle concepts.
Industry Implications
1. Automotive Industry - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Exploring new strategies to combine luxury and compact cars to target diverse consumer segments.
2. Luxury Car Industry - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Expanding product offerings by introducing compact luxury cars to appeal to urban dwellers.
3. Design Industry - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporating luxury aesthetics and materials into compact city car designs to create unique and visually appealing vehicles.