A Mercedes-Maybach SUV is 'likely' to be produced, as the firm looks to exploit the potential of its upmarket sub-brand.

Following the demise of the standalone Maybach brand in 2013, the nameplate is being relaunched this year on the Mercedes-Maybach S-class, which is larger, more refined and more luxuriously equipped than the standard Mercedes-Benz S-class.

However, company bosses have now admitted that the Maybach name will be used as a sub-brand for more ultra-exclusive models, just as AMG is used as a sub-brand for performance cars.

“The theory is that we will do more Maybach models,” admitted Martin Hulder, project manager for the S-class. “But it will not be for all vehicles; any Maybach must make sense, because it is not just about putting an emblem on a car.

“Buyers rightly have high expectations of a Maybach, and we must be sure to always deliver on them.”

The Mercedes-Maybach S-class was developed over two years, and more than 70 per cent of sales are expected to be in Asia. As such, the Mercedes GLS is hotly tipped to be the next car to carry the Maybach name, because its size makes it popular with Chinese buyers who prize rear cabin space.

If launched, the Mercedes-Maybach SUV would compete in the same ultra-luxury territory as the upcoming Bentley Bentayga, and the long-rumoured Rolls-Royce SUV.