Click above for high-res gallery of the Maybach 62 Landaulet
Seemingly nothing – not the credit crunch, not miniscule sales, not its own lengthy, lugubrious looks – can kill the Maybach. People who have wondered how long Mercedes will keep dishing out tiny servings of the enormous cars can wonder no more: top guy Dieter Zetsche has said Maybach is here to stay, and that the brand "is not losing money."
We don't know how a division that moved just 146 cars last year, even if they start at $372,000, isn't losing money. But the $1.35 million Landaulet should help things, and to be to be fair, Zetsche has said before that Maybach's profitability or otherwise is not the issue – the car is a suitable competitor to Rolls-Royce and Bentley. And Daimler has demonstrated patience: it waded through the rough times with the smart car division for ten years, and now has black ink and a hot brand to show for it.
[Source: Automotive News via eGM Car Tech]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
B-NOIT @ Oct 9th 2008 4:38PM
I dunno. Such an expensive piece should at least be cutting-edge. The styling was old when was introduced, and let's face it - image is everything for people who spend that much on a car.
Just do what Infiniti did with the M35/45: re-skin it and call it a brand new car.
Nick @ Oct 9th 2008 11:40PM
I agree, how is Maybach a 'brand' when it's a bloated S-Class? It's so close to it that many call it 'Mercedes Maybach'. What the hell ? It's an awesome, high quality luxury car, but the looks kill it. Look at these headlights..!!!
zamafir @ Oct 9th 2008 4:40PM
wouldn't it be Thus spricht Zetsche? Since he's saying it? That is, if Zetsche is saying it... seeing as sprache is 'language' not to speak or say...
stealthebeatles @ Oct 9th 2008 4:47PM
Bentley is a classy looking expensive car, Rolls-Royce is an in-your-face symbol of the nouveau riche, and Maybach is indistinguishable from an S-Class from most angles.
Hike15 @ Oct 9th 2008 9:33PM
and thats only only reason people buy it
most people dont realize what it is so people can go around in one and be descreet
VladdyTrout @ Oct 9th 2008 4:47PM
Put this thing out of its misery! It looks so much like an S Class that it's just sad. And this Landaulet model just makes things worse. Come Mercedes Benz, get on the ball and totally re-skin this car. At least give it unique body panels, if nothing else. The Phanton doesn't look at all like a 7 series despite some shared internal components. Gosh, don'tcha know?
Xcountryflyer @ Oct 9th 2008 4:50PM
Totally agree with everyone else about the tepid styling that screams S-Class. Why pay more for a longer S-Class? It really needs a total redesign/restyling.
Turbofrog @ Oct 9th 2008 4:51PM
The Maybach looked stale to begin with, and has aged even poorer.
Paul P. @ Oct 9th 2008 4:55PM
While I am a fan of Maybach, I can't help but think part of the reason they don't sell a lot of cars is they have the image of being an overpriced Mercedes S class, rather than being seen as their own high-end luxury brand. People look at their cars and ask themselves, "why should I buy this when it looks just like a Mercedes that is $200,000 less." The Phantom or Brooklands doesn't really have that problem.
(Though I have heard of Bentley guys who have had their cars confused with Chrysler 300's, some like it as they think it makes them more "incognito," others despise it.)
Torrent @ Oct 9th 2008 5:18PM
IMO, Maybachs are one of the ugliest cars in the 'above 300K' price bracket. I'd never buy one even if I had the money.
Fritz @ Oct 9th 2008 5:25PM
They oughta go the direction of that Darth Vader thing they made a few years ago. Or just make it?
Bruno @ Oct 9th 2008 5:34PM
Of course they´re not loosing money, it's just a rebadged S-Class with a few tricks here and there.
Even if I had the money, I would never buy a Maybach, a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley.
BMW 7 series and MB S-Class have the same quality and are cheaper and both looks much better.
zamafir @ Oct 9th 2008 5:42PM
You've driven a Flying Spur and find the 7 series to have both the same fit and finish, handling, and performance? I'm curious what was impairing your judgment at the time.
Bruno @ Oct 9th 2008 6:06PM
I wish I had driven. My judgement is based on what I read about these cars and talking to engineers, owners and mechanics.
When I say they have the same quality, I mean they're all quality-built. They probably have very different behaviours while driving. Flying Spur and Maybach are not better enough, in relation to BMW 7's and S-Class, to justify their cost. They're just "show-off" cars, and that's something I don't want for me. Even if I get as rich as a russian oil tycoon.
I have driven a S-Class, though. I prefer E-Class: smaller, prettier and faster.
I really dislike these jumbo-cars. They're all ugly, IMO.
Richard @ Oct 9th 2008 5:49PM
Proving, yet again, that money and taste aren't necessarily paired together.
Steven Myers @ Oct 9th 2008 6:15PM
Patience?! Daimler certainly had no patience or let alone significant smarts for the way they let Chrysler's product portfolio grow uglier and less pleasant in the years subsequent to the acquisition of them by Daimler. For stating they had plans to take Chrysler a farther upmarket, they sure did things totally oppositely.
Maybach is a total waste without truly unique styling which is possessed by both smart and Mercedes-Benz.
For the money, a Volkswagen AG engineered Bentley or BMW AG engineered Rolls Royce would be far better and unique choices.
J M C 3 @ Oct 9th 2008 7:48PM
A fool and his money are easily parted.
FFS @ Oct 10th 2008 12:33AM
those headlights look cheaper than any Vws hondas, fords...
st34 @ Oct 10th 2008 2:23AM
Proof there's nothin quite like polishing a turd.
psu48187 @ Oct 10th 2008 3:09AM
Funny that someone mentioned Daimler's big fumble A.K.A. Chrysler. The money spent to launch an all new brand could have been applied to a much better product lineup over in Auburn Hills. Instead we deal with German arrogance and we end up with Maybach.
At any rate, memo to Daimler no one wants something that looks like a a rich mans version of the Family Truckster. Yay, let me run out and buy something that looks like a W220 S Class with tacky excess everywhere just so I can feel special. Park this thing next to a W221 (the latest S Class) and dated doesn't even begin to describe this design.