Mercedes Axes Maybach Brand

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With chairman Dieter Zetsche’s recent decision to stop development of the replacement models for the Maybach 57 and 62, the writing was on the wall for this historical brand, which represented the ultimate luxury vehicle. Now the pencil has turned to ink.

In its golden days, the Maybach was the carriage that ferried princes,
statesmen and captains of industry on their world-conquesting forays. Daimler AG certainly had high hopes for this ultra-luxury brand, but
this did not turn out to be the case.

With dismal sales and internal
studies, which found that an upmarket Mercedes S-Class could better bring
the fight to Maybach’s rivals, the decision to axe the brand was
just another business reality.

Mercedes will continue to produce Maybachs until early 2013, after
which the new S-Class is expected to take over. A Pullman version is
rumored to be in the works, so Maybach followers will still have this
option if an S-Class is too cramped for them.

The original Maybachs made
their names by concentrating on their builder’s design and engineering
strengths. Sadly, today’s highly competitive environment means that the
primary consideration must be the bottom line.

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