Report: Maybach Brand faces wind down


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Human said:
A new report suggests that Mercedes-Benz may soon replace the Maybach brand with more upscale S-class models. Daimler, parent company is faced with dismal sales for the low volume automaker and sees more profitability in an upscale Mercedes than the stand-alone Maybach brand.

SOURCE: Leftlanenews
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That was an expected an anticipated move, though a pretty dangerous one, due to the risk of internal canibalisation if the delimitation between similar models is not effectively done. The Maybach name might not be phased out completely, as it has been intensively speculated that Mercedes-Benz plans to offer the ultra-high-luxury S-Class that could be badged Mercedes-Maybach.
 
Mercedes 600

They should just produce the successor to the old 600, it was the best car in the world and no RR or Bentley could touch it. I also do not believe that the problem lies in the brand, at least in the case of Mercedes. BMW could hardly produce Phantom under its own name, but Mercedes has a heritage of producing the most comfortable and luxirious cars in the history. Extended wheelbase of the new S class, grandiosity and more upright and massive grille of the past could give it enough individuality of its own.
 
MBZ Fan said:
That was an expected an anticipated move, though a pretty dangerous one, due to the risk of internal canibalisation if the delimitation between similar models is not effectively done. The Maybach name might not be phased out completely, as it has been intensively speculated that Mercedes-Benz plans to offer the ultra-high-luxury S-Class that could be badged Mercedes-Maybach.
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I've said it all along. They should have always been Mercedes Maybach. The dickhead Schremp had no respect for Mercedes as a brand and wanted to whore out the company as much as he possibly could for the sake of $$. No single man has done as much damage to Mercedes as he did and theres a reason why he is the only ever CEO not asked to sit on the advisory board.
 
Applause!

And they had it right before him, it was called the "Maybach by Mercedes-Benz" with a Mercedes grille and all.


M
 
The entire project was almost certainly doomed from the start -- mostly because it was conceived for entirely the wrong reasons.

What makes Bentley and Rolls-Royce successful is art and culture -- and that is exactly what the Maybach lacks.

High-end vehicles like the BMW 7 and Mercedes S class already offer everything one could desire in terms of performance and technology -- so Rolls-Royce and Bentley use aesthetics to elevate themselves beyond the 'mass-produced' and 'machine-made'.

Unfortunately, Maybach never quite achieved this level of aesthetic differentiation -- and so one was left making the inevitable comparisons with the S class.
 
In my eyes the Maybach has always been just that, an upscale Mercedes... so might as well go for an upscale S.
 
I still feel the Maybach brand doesn't quite need to be axed. Provided they put the right people in charge and start off from a clean slate they still very much have the ability to give RR and bentley a run for their money.
 
BMW Power said:
I still feel the Maybach brand doesn't quite need to be axed. Provided they put the right people in charge and start off from a clean slate they still very much have the ability to give RR and bentley a run for their money.
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I agree. This Frankenbuild composed of a W140 skeleton pulled from the atics of Stuttgard to then be dressed in W220, simply couldn't fool customers. They saw that it wasn't a genuine top luxury car. Dailmer perceived this to be a "cheap" way of taking a jab at Bentley and Rolls-Royce but the failure to sustain sales have cost them dearly.

Dieter Zetsche is a smart man who is going an amazing job progressing the Mercedes brand, but leadership-wise, he's weak when it comes to building brands. The Smart got off to a good start but is currently on a delice to oblivion while BMW and VAG are doing everything right, successfully reviving old brand. BMW's Mini Cooper and Rolls-Royce Phantom, in addition to VAG's Bentley Continental GT and Bugatti Veyron are examples of vehicles for bringing old brands back from the dead.
 
Apparently the German media are claiming that the last Maybach model will be a ltd edition Coupe of the 57 , meaning that for cost reasons the 57 will be converted into a 2dr Coupe.

he's weak when it comes to building brands. The Smart got off to a good start but is currently on a delice to oblivion while BMW and VAG are doing everything right, successfully reviving old brand. BMW's Mini Cooper and Rolls-Royce Phantom, in addition to VAG's Bentley Continental GT and Bugatti Veyron are examples of vehicles for bringing old brands back from the dead.
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Personally I do not think in some cases it is the product that is the problem (people bought Maybach's ,remember) and every manufacturer are interpreting and refining the Smart Concept.
Failure should be left at the door of marketing or the lack of it which in Smart's case killed off two model lines before they reached half way life in their lifecycle.
They should have left the Ocean Drive as a Maybach to regenerate interest and headlines - a headline for Maybach now is "failure"
As a marketing term where would I take Maybach? Creatively I am interested muscially by Jazz and a lot of modern jazz is very interesting and is interpreted in many classes of music. My take on Maybach would have been to look towards the future , progressive and very classy.
Smart? The Toytown and GAP esque previous campaigns were distinctively terrible if anyone presented that to me as an idea they would not re-enter the office until they have been to confession and severly , intently repented.

MINI was to look back at the original mini in the 1960's , music , fashion , people mini was culture. For MINI in the late nineties we had a similar resurgence within culture such as fashion , music and new media , mini and MINI are a sign of the times.
Rolls-Royce has history and you have to reflect that history and the Phantom reflected the image and the class status of a Rolls-Royce.
With the new Ghost we are reaching out to a new generation of customer that is why the marketing is different from the classy orchestric "strive for excellence" with the Phantom. A greater proportion of Ghost customers are driving the car themselves so with Ghost one of focus points with the Ghost is on driveability in our communication.
 
To me, Maybach is an extremely ugly car. The car is so ugly its not worthy four wheels and a steering wheel. Not even The Shining Star could help Mr. ugly
 
If this report is true then it tells me that Mercedes is quite lost for some time now as far as marketing strategy is concerned.

First they revive an old brand at three times the price of S-Class, a car that was based on old W140 chaises and looked like a cross between w220 S- class and later arrival w221. W221 has a superior looking and modern interior with designo features then w220 inspired Maybach's interior with slabs of wood.

They also downgraded the Mercedes brand by launching the A-Class and its uglier Vento sibling. I don't understand why they did not brand the A-class as Smart for-Four. They have a brand downstream (Smart) that also desperately needed a 4 passenger small car in my opinion. Innovative feature like sandwich floor of A-CLASS would have been a good start for the Smart brand story to build upon.

So the brand upstream is not working, the brand downstream ain't working either. All the various brands acquired in the 90s haven't worked. Only the good old Mercedes brand is to accommodate A to Z classes.

In my opinion its the product line of Maybach and Smart that have to be revamped. My suggestion is to give the A and B classes to Smart brand and Mercedes model line should start from the C-Class as it was in 1995-96. Saloon upward of S-class should be branded under Mercedes-Maybach name.
 
I agree.

And they had it right back in 1997 at the Tokyo auto show, the "Maybach by Mercedes-Benz". That car would have sold better I'm sure of it, but then again what is the point of upstaging the S-Class with an in house rival???

The problem is that Mercedes doesn't have the money design a truly different car for Maybach. Sure it can be based on the W222 (not the W221), but can't look anything like it, inside or out.

This is why I was so wishing that Mercedes and Aston-Martin had forged some type of agreement or working relationship. Mercedes = engineer + Aston = Design == Stunningly unique vehicle that could take on Bentley and Rolls easily. Hell do 2 versions, Lagonda and Maybach, each different and with their own engines etc.

I don't think Maybach should be killed off, but there isn't much else they can do with no money on hand because as you see once again, the W222 is already being designed so a Maybach based on it will have to be significantly upgraded otherwise it will appear to be just another W222 variant.

They need to flip the script and do a Maybach from scratch with its on platform, styling, but using Mercedes parts under the skin where you won't notice or care. Let Aston-Martin or Brunno Sacco design the car, but it can't look like either a Benz or an Aston.

Mercedes simply isnt' up to this type of challenge right now. Money, environment, time etc. etc. are all working against them.


M
 
Design is another aspect of mercedes these days that I am worried about. I am not sure if a new MAYBACH even if it is design from scratch, can compete with RR Ghost. Without the heritage it has to be way better in interior and exterior design to compete with the establishment, (I have the same argument for Lexus LFA). RR and Bentley have the heritage design wise, and to be honest I don't see the current breed of Mercedes designer to comeup with a breathtaking design (in my personal opinion).

Mercedes needs to rehire or offer top consultation position to either design mastero Bruno Sacco or the very talented Paul Bracq or both of them.
I saw a black W116 280S yesterday.I think that its design is superior to any variant of W221 or Maybach. After 30 years the car is a still so fresh and exotic in appearance. Heck Merc kept the design in SL model form for almost 20 years and the sales were still strong. That is how a Mercedes shall be.
 
I don't think the failure has to do with the brand. The Maybach brand could very well establish itself as a genuine competitor for RR, as the brand is now less important than the statement and product in the automotive world (see the success of the young Lexus against BMW and Mercedes in the states).

However, you cannot hope to sell a car that costs three times what an S-Class costs, yet has no more flair or technology.

Adding some wood and leather to a W220 dash, poorly designed interior furnitures such as the ugly rear heating protruding thing, and make the whole look like a previous-gen W220 S-Class... This is the recipe for a failure if you face a bespoke, impressive-looking, totally aristocratic and unique Phantom, or a wonderfully sculpted and marvelously old-school-rich Bentley Arnage? What is the point of the current Maybach? The reclining seats?

Compared to the competition, it offers nothing.

This failure is not that of a brand, it is that of a product. A ridiculously overpriced, hurried-up product facing very well-thought and defined competitors.
 
coolraoul said:
I don't think the failure has to do with the brand. The Maybach brand could very well establish itself as a genuine competitor for RR, as the brand is now less important than the statement and product in the automotive world (see the success of the young Lexus against BMW and Mercedes in the states).

However, you cannot hope to sell a car that costs three times what an S-Class costs, yet has no more flair or technology.

Adding some wood and leather to a W220 dash, poorly designed interior furnitures such as the ugly rear heating protruding thing, and make the whole look like a previous-gen W220 S-Class... This is the recipe for a failure if you face a bespoke, impressive-looking, totally aristocratic and unique Phantom, or a wonderfully sculpted and marvelously old-school-rich Bentley Arnage? What is the point of the current Maybach? The reclining seats?

Compared to the competition, it offers nothing.

This failure is not that of a brand, it is that of a product.
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I agree to most of the statements except the last line. Brand is the result of the product/ product line. Good product will create higher brand equity. With Maybach, the product is unable to create superior brand image. Hence the brand is a loser due to the attributes of the product IMO.
 
The latest news. BYD may be interested in Maybach, should it be discontinued.

BYD Interested in Maybach-brand???

Published on March 29, 2010 by Tycho


According to a report on one of China’s largest automotive websites, auto.sina.com, BYD has expressed interest to acquire the Maybach-brand from Mercedes Benz as the Germans will pull the plug in one or two years.

An unmaned BYD official told Sina.com that BYD was very interested in Maybach and would “launch the acquisition” as soon as Benz makes the final decision to quit.

Earlier this month MB and BYD announced a partnership to produce electric vehicles for the Chinese market, so the two are friends already. Still I don’t think Benz will ever consider to sell the Maybach-brand to anyone, let alone to a batterymaker turned carmaker from China.

Hard to say how serious BYD really is, but it is good to see the brand keeps dreaming…

BYD Interested in Maybach-brand??? | TheTycho.com - China Auto News
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Automobile Magazine - FEATURES: Deep Dive: Maybach Lives!

be9001ea4ade368686f4849e8fbc5698.webp


Maybach has long been assumed to be at death's door. The brand is actually profitable on paper since the ramp-up investment has been fully absorbed by Daimler AG. Still, at a homeopathic 200 to 300 units a year, it's hardly worth the continued cost of a special distribution and service network. It doesn't help matters that current Maybachs are based on the previous-generation S-class -- not exactly state-of-the-art. Disillusioned and lacking a clear strategy, previous brand leadership was very close to putting Maybach out of its misery.

But now there's new leadership and new hope. Daimler board member Joachim Schmidt, recently brought back from the Far East to run Daimler's sales and marketing, sees plenty of new opportunities for ultraluxury cars in China and North America, along with the Middle East and Russia. Additionally, there's an obvious platform for Maybach's revival in the form of the next all-new S-class, which debuts in 2012.

The extended Maybach range likely will be comprised of five models, including a four-door coupe and a long-wheelbase convertible (a spiritual successor to the 2007 Mercedes Ocean Drive concept). To keep things relatively simple, all Maybachs will be powered by the same engine: the faithful 6.0-liter V-12 used in Maybach's current 62S and Zeppelin editions. Now putting out a brutal 850 lb-ft of torque, it will be mated to a seven-speed automatic that can accommodate an electric motor good for a little over 20 hp and a zero-emission range of approximately ten miles. In a second step, Maybach will almost certainly switch to an even more efficient nine-speed automatic and offer a more advanced hybrid. The "base" engine delivers about 545 hp, while the S version is good for some 630 hp. Sources claim a 25 percent improvement in European fuel economy testing, but given the current car's abysmal 12 mpg EPA combined rating, these still won't be any shade of green.

A broader approach to the full-size luxury-car segment is essential to fund the second chapter of the Maybach adventure. The next S-class, which itself will be available in no less than six variants, should be able to battle everything from the Hyundai Equus to the Maserati Quattroporte. It will be up to Maybach to compete in Bentley Mulsanne and Rolls-Royce Phantom territory. According to one insider, future Maybach vehicles will not be mere exercises in badge-engineering but "jewels on wheels and at last worthy of the brand."

Time will tell.


Maybach Lives! - Deep Dive - Automobile Magazine


M
 
Appears to be a difficult decision? Just yesterday, came across this story:

Maybach's future is undecided

Diana T. Kurylko | Automotive News

Daimler's 7-year-old superluxury brand still uses the platform of the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S class. Daimler executives have not decided whether to create a second-generation Maybach.

The range got a minor freshening this year -- the hood was raised, the grille enlarged and the headlamps modified. No changes are expected in the coming years.

The lineup of four-door sedans continues with the 57 and 57S models and the longer-wheelbase 62, 62S and 62S Landaulet, which features a soft top that rolls open for the rear-seat passengers.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100830/OEM04/100829876#ixzz0yDxzfCnK
 

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In November 2014, Daimler announced the revival of the Maybach name as a sub-brand of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222), positioned as an upscale version akin to the more sporty Mercedes-AMG sub-brand.
Official website: Mercedes-Maybach

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