Phantom [Official] Rolls-Royce Phantom (VIII)

[Gianclaudio]

If there's one company who can make a true rival to this, it's Mercedes. I'd love to see them do it; all these sportscars are becoming damned boring, nor do they suit the brand as much as a true top end luxury car.
An S600 Maybach is damn nice, don't get me wrong, but something like a Phantom it is not.

And they should call it 600 and not Maybach.

 

[mercpassion]

If there's one company who can make a true rival to this, it's Mercedes. I'd love to see them do it; all these sportscars are becoming damned boring, nor do they suit the brand as much as a true top end luxury car.
An S600 Maybach is damn nice, don't get me wrong, but something like a Phantom it is not.

That would be great for sure but unfortunately I'm not too sure if it will work as British design exuberance appeals far more to buyers rather than German minimalism even though I'm sure a super luxury Mercedes will unboubtably be technically superior..I think it will be a Maybach 57 repeat again more or less..

 

[slicknick]

British design exuberance appeals far more to buyers rather than German minimalism

I'd say British aristocracy, rather...

 

[mercpassion]

I'd say British aristocracy, rather...

Yeah, my bad or extravagance is a more suitable term..in other words anything over the top lol

 

[sako97]

If there's one company who can make a true rival to this, it's Mercedes. I'd love to see them do it; all these sportscars are becoming damned boring, nor do they suit the brand as much as a true top end luxury car.
An S600 Maybach is damn nice, don't get me wrong, but something like a Phantom it is not.

I agree, the supercar and hypercar market is just crowded now.

And they should call it 600 and not Maybach.

They jumped the gun to 650 and 680(???) model designations, so 600 isn't high enough anymore. Both models only truly offer an antiquated V12 over the Maybach 560 V8.

Seriously though, it'd really be something if MB goes all-in and finally develops a true 600 successor.... Not an extended version of a current S-class. The original 600 might have been the most prestigious car ever.

But that'll mean that MB marketing would have to stop referring to the S-class as "the best car in the world".

 

[SCOTT27]

But that'll mean that MB marketing would have to stop referring to the S-class as "the best car in the world."

Especially since the new Phantom is here.

 

[Monster]

But that'll mean that MB marketing would have to stop referring to the S-class as "the best car in the world."
Especially since the new Phantom is here.

Coming from BMW's marketing team, you should know, nothing stops the marketing people from a spin.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

And they should call it 600 and not Maybach.

It would need to be called the Mercedes Maybach 600.

MB probably has the engineering and design ability to do it, but I don't think they have the guts just yet. Maybe in a generation or two of the S-class Maybach.

 

[Merc1]

I agree. I don't think Mercedes can ever overcome the image factor though. S_Class is a great car, but it's still just a Mercedes, even with a Maybach badge on it. Until Bugatti builds a W16 luxury sedan, this Phantom is the last word in luxury cars. S-Class is the last word in mass market luxury, but it needs that qualifier the Roller doesn't.

M

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I agree. I don't think Mercedes can ever overcome the image factor though. S_Class is a great car, but it's still just a Mercedes, even with a Maybach badge on it. Until Bugatti builds a W16 luxury sedan, this Phantom is the last word in luxury cars. S-Class is the last word in mass market luxury, but it needs that qualifier the Roller doesn't.

M

I disagree on this point. I think if spectacular enough in engineering and desing the combination of Mercedes Maybach branding will work. As ridiculous as I find the term 'New Money' this Phantom appeals to that market. I believe they would be very willing to embrace a outrageously over the top Mercedes Maybach.

The Maybach of the late 90's was not special enough in terms of design and clearly the Maybach brand lacked cachet without the attachment of the Mercedes moniker. But with the rise of the Middle Eastern and Chinese markets I think the timing is right. There's a reason 70% of all Maybach sales are from China.

 

[Merc1]

I disagree on this point. I think if spectacular enough in engineering and desing the combination of Mercedes Maybach branding will work. As ridiculous as I find the term 'New Money' this Phantom appeals to that market. I believe they would be very willing to embrace a outrageously over the top Mercedes Maybach.

The Maybach of the late 90's was not special enough in terms of design and clearly the Maybach brand lacked cachet without the attachment of the Mercedes moniker. But with the rise of the Middle Eastern and Chinese markets I think the timing is right. There's a reason 70% of all Maybach sales are from China.

We'll see. Mercedes has the engineering it's the brand cachet they don't have. The engineering doesn't really matter as much to these customers IMO.

M

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Coming from BMW's marketing team, you should know, nothing stops the marketing people from a spin.

 

[slicknick]

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[Serpens]

It would need to be called the Mercedes Maybach 600.

MB probably has the engineering and design ability to do it, but I don't think they have the guts just yet. Maybe in a generation or two of the S-class Maybach.

I think they would need to design a car that doesn't look like a Mercedes most importantly. The Phantom has the advantage of drawing on traditional Rolls-Royce cues, which it does wonderfully. A Maybach would need to have a styling identity independent of anything else on the market, which is very difficult. I'd rather Mercedes focus more on their core competencies. I'm OK with the Phantom being in a class of one.

 

[slicknick]

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[SDNR]

If there's one company who can make a true rival to this, it's Mercedes. I'd love to see them do it; all these sportscars are becoming damned boring, nor do they suit the brand as much as a true top end luxury car.
An S600 Maybach is damn nice, don't get me wrong, but something like a Phantom it is not.

That would be great for sure but unfortunately I'm not too sure if it will work as British design exuberance appeals far more to buyers rather than German minimalism even though I'm sure a super luxury Mercedes will unboubtably be technically superior..I think it will be a Maybach 57 repeat again more or less..

It would need to be called the Mercedes Maybach 600.

MB probably has the engineering and design ability to do it, but I don't think they have the guts just yet. Maybe in a generation or two of the S-class Maybach.

Ahem, guys, they tried that with the Maybach 57/62.

Even the W100 (Mercedes 600) was not a financially successful model for Daimler-Benz ....they lost money on every one sold (just like Maybach 57/62).

The grandest cars Mercedes ever made were the ones built in the 1930s .....unfortunately their image was slightly tainted by the circumstances of the time and the activities of a few of their most prominent owners.

 

[SDNR]

I'd rather Mercedes focus more on their core competencies. I'm OK with the Phantom being in a class of one.

I completely agree. Rolls-Royce is an older marque but Mercedes-Benz has the great prestige of direct origins to the inventor of the modern ICE automobile.

Furthermore, Mercedes is world-renowned for its innovation and reliabity - they build real cars for the real world.


The Rolls-Royce Phantom is an indulgence. It is quite difficult to think if a rational reason for owning a Phantom. It may be wonderfully engineered and beautifully made but most people are seduced by the presence and opulence of it.

A symbol of class for some and the excesses of Capitalism for others ....yet even Vladimir Lenin owned several Rolls-Royces.

 

[mercpassion]

I agree with the points made above, if there was a time when MB had arguably more brand cachet than RR it was the in the 30's, however unfortunately the current climate today means RR has eclipsed MB in this respect but still I personally would prefer a super Mercedes again..there are many who prefer the stealthy german approach to styling..

 

[SDNR]

I agree with the points made above, if there was a time when MB had arguably more brand cachet than RR it was the in the 30's, however unfortunately the current climate today means RR has eclipsed MB in this respect but still I personally would prefer a super Mercedes again..there are many who prefer the stealthy german approach to styling..

Well I wouldn't say Mercedes had more cachet than Rolls-Royce ....don't forget, the Phantom II was widely regarded as the "best car in the world" ....those were the days when Rolls-Royce was respected for its engineering rather than luxury. Also, in those days there were many other prestigeous car makers in Europe and the USA.

The superiority of the Mercedes-Benz brand became more commonly acknowledged after World War II.

 

[mercpassion]

Well I wouldn't say Mercedes had more cachet than Rolls-Royce ....don't forget, the Phantom II was widely regarded as the "best car in the world" ....those were the days when Rolls-Royce was respected for its engineering rather than luxury. Also, in those days there were many other prestigeous car makers in Europe and the USA.

The superiority of the Mercedes-Benz brand became more commonly acknowledged after World War II.

Maybe but from the top of my head it was only the V12 which spearheaded the RR phantom whereas MB had many novelties on the (Grand Mercedes) 770's such as sophisticated transmission, supercharged engine and vaccum assisted brakes to name a few..so it was more or less neck to neck back then whereas that is no longer the case today..