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| Company type | Subsidiary (GmbH) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1909; 116 years ago (1909) |
| Founder | Wilhelm Maybach |
| Defunct | 1960 (bought byDaimler-Benz) 2013 (as a standalone brand) |
| Fate | 1960: bought byDaimler-Benz 2002: standalone brand 2015: Mercedes sub-brand |
| Successor | Mercedes-Maybach |
| Headquarters | Stuttgart, Germany |
| Products | Luxury vehicles |
| Parent | Mercedes-Benz |
| Website | maybach |
Maybach (German:[ˈmaɪbax],MY-baakh)[1] is aGerman luxury car brand owned by and a part ofMercedes-Benz AG. The original company was founded in 1909 byWilhelm Maybach and his son Karl Maybach, originally as asubsidiary ofLuftschiffbau ZeppelinGmbH, and it was known asLuftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1999.
In 1960, Maybach was acquired byDaimler-Benz. The name returned as a standaloneultra-luxury car brand in 2002, sharing significant components with Mercedes-Benz cars. After slow sales, Maybach ceased to be a standalone brand by 2013, and it became (in 2015) a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz, which theMercedes-Benz Group owns. As of 2021[update], Daimler produces anultra-luxury edition of theMercedes-Benz S-Class, theMercedes-Benz EQS SUV and theMercedes-Benz GLS-Class under theMercedes-Maybach name.[2]
Wilhelm Maybach was the technical director of theDaimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) until he left in 1907. On 23 March 1909, he founded the new company,Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH (literally "Aircraft Engine Building Company"), with his sonKarl Maybach as director.[3] In 1912, they renamed it toMaybach-Motorenbau GmbH ("Maybach Engine Construction Company"). The company originally developed and manufactured diesel and petrol engines forZeppelins, and then rail cars. ItsMaybach Mb.IVa was used in aircraft and airships of World War I.
The company first built an experimental car in 1919, introduced as a production model two years later at the Berlin Motor Show. Between 1921 and 1940, the company produced a variety of opulent vehicles, now regarded as classics. The company also continued to build heavy-duty diesel engines for marine and rail purposes.
Maybach had a British subsidiary, Maybach Gears Ltd., that specialised in gearboxes. In 1938, in conjunction with Dr Henry Merritt, they produced a gearbox and steering system – the 'Merritt-Maybach' – for the abortive Nuffield A.16E1Cruiser tank design.[4]
During theSecond World War, Maybach produced the engines for most ofNazi Germany'stanks andhalf-tracks. These included almost all the production tank engines throughPanzer I,II,III,IV andV, theTiger I andII (Maybach HL230) and other heavy tanks: and also engines for half-tracks such as theSd.Kfz. 251 personnel carrier and prime movers like theSd.Kfz. 9. The engine plant was one of several industriestargeted at Friedrichshafen.
After WWII, the factory performed some repair work, but automotive production was never restarted, and some 20 years later, the company was renamedMTU Friedrichshafen.
Daimler-Benz purchased the company in 1960. Post-1960, the company was mainly used to make special editions of Mercedes cars in the W108 and W116 model range, which were virtually hand built. These cars however carried the Mercedes badge and serial numbers.
Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, based inFriedrichshafen, used to manufacture the commercial Maybach diesel engines under the MTU brand through its subsidiaryMTU Friedrichshafen GmbH.[when?]
Daimler presented a luxury concept car at the 1997Tokyo Motor Show. A production model based on it was introduced in two sizes – theMaybach 57 and theMaybach 62, reflecting the lengths of the automobiles indecimetres. In 2005 the 57S was added, powered by a 6.0 L V12bi-turbo engine producing 450 kW (603 hp) and 1,000 N⋅m (738 lbf⋅ft) of torque, and featuring various cosmetic touches.
To promote the new Maybach line, Mercedes-Benz engaged figures such as Maybach heirUlrich Schmid-Maybach and golferNick Faldo to serve asbrand ambassadors.[5]
Initially, Daimler-Chrysler predicted annual sales of 2,000 worldwide with 50 percent coming from the United States; however, these expectations never materialized.[6][7] In 2007, Mercedes bought back 29 US dealers, reducing the total from 71 to 42.[8] In 2010, only 157 Maybachs were sold worldwide, compared to 2,711 similarly priced Rolls-Royces.[9] By the time of the announcement that the brand was to be laid back to rest, 3,000 had been sold worldwide since the brand was revived in 2002.[10]
Daimler announced in November 2011 that Maybach would cease to be a brand by 2013 and manufactured the last Maybach vehicle in December 2012. This was because of poor sales.[11][12]
With poor sales and the heavy impact of thefinancial crisis of 2007–2008, Daimler AG undertook a complete review of the Maybach division,[13] approachingAston Martin to engineer and style the next generation of Maybach models along with the next generation ofLagondas.[14] According toAutomotive News, only 44 Maybachs had been sold in the US in the first ten months of 2011.[15]
An article inFortune noted that Mercedes had missed out on the chance to purchase Rolls-Royce and Bentley when they were up for sale in the 1990s:
"Mercedes backpedaled and decided it needed to be in the ultra-luxury business too, but it went after it in a remarkably clumsy way.
It further stated that the first Maybach models had poor driving dynamics compared to its contemporaries from Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
Mercedes took an aging S-class chassis and plopped an absurdly elongated body on it ... rather than develop a new car from the wheels up, as BMW did with Rolls-Royce, or cleverly use the underpinnings of an existing model like theVolkswagen Phaeton for a new Bentley."
Furthermore, Maybachs were never advertised as owner-driven vehicles, as the company believed that the luxury amenities would be sufficient to drive sales, and they even insisted that auto journalists (who usually test drive the vehicle) ride in the back seat.[9]
Another suggestion for Maybach's struggles was that parent Daimler had failed to differentiate it from its Mercedes-Benz brand. While all three ultra-luxury marques share platforms and engines with other luxury brands from their parent auto company, Maybachs are built alongside theMercedes-Benz S-Class flagship sedan, whereas Rolls-Royce and Bentley are assembled in England (separate from the rest ofBMW andVolkswagen Group's respective production plants), and thus are regarded as being more "exclusive". Furthermore, the Maybach's pedigree was virtually unknown outside of Germany, unlike its British rivals which have long enjoyed renown worldwide;[14] indeed the 2006Rolls-Royce Phantom's interior evokes memories of a 1930s car while the Maybach 57S's inside makes no reference to its marque's history.[16]
In November 2011, Daimler's CEO Dieter Zetsche announced that the Maybach-brand would cease to exist in 2012, making room for other models of theMercedes-Benz S-Class. The Maybach-limousines were still being sold up to the year 2013, but after that, the name "Maybach" would not be used.[17] On 14 August 2012, parent Daimler AG announced the official discontinuation of Maybach by releasing a price sheet officially discontinuing the Maybach 57, 57S, 62, 62S and Landaulet.[18] On 17 December 2012, the last Maybach vehicle was manufactured in Sindelfingen.[19]
The company announced that the line would be replaced by the next-generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class,Model W222, due for the 2014 model year, particularly thelong wheelbase S-Class Pullman. An executive told a Frankfurt newspaper that "Daimler came to the conclusion that the sales chances for the Mercedes brand were better than that of Maybach."[20]
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In November 2014, Daimler announced the revival of the Maybach name as a sub-brand of theMercedes-Benz S-Class (W222), positioned as an upscale version akin to the more sportyMercedes-AMG sub-brand. In anticipation of its April 2015 launch,[21] the flagshipMercedes-Maybach S600 was unveiled at car shows inLos Angeles, United States, andGuangzhou, China,[22] and the production model at the 2015Geneva Motor Show.[23] During the facelift, the S 500 and S 550 were redesignated S 560 and the flagship was renamed S 650.
Assembled on the sameSindelfingen line used for the S-Class, the model is targeted against theBentley Mulsanne andRolls-Royce Phantom.[24] At 5.453 metres (17.89 ft) long with a wheelbase of 3.365 metres (11.04 ft) (132.5 inches), it is approximately 20 centimetres (7.9 in) longer than the long-wheelbase S-Class models. The Mercedes-Maybach will be available as S500 (S550 in the US) and S600 models, with 4matic all-wheel-drive optional with the V8 engine.[25][26] Acceleration is 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97 km/h) in 5.0 seconds.[27] The base car has several colour finish options and the choice between a three-seat rear bench, or two seats reclining. Options include: air-conditioned, heated and massaging seats; heated armrests; a system to pump scented,ionised air around the cabin; and a 1540 wattBurmester 3D surround sound system with 24 speakers.[24] Maybach S500 assembly inPune, India, began in September 2015, making India the second country to produce a Maybach.[28][29]
The first Mercedes-Maybach concept car is theVision Mercedes-Maybach 6, a large two-door coupe with a fully electric drivetrain. The model was unveiled at the 2016Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.[30]
2 were the 5.7 L inline six engines built for and ordered bySpyker. Not all were purchased, and Karl had to build cars featuring the engines to offset costs.
Around 1800 Maybachs were built before WWII.
| Calendar year | US sales |
|---|---|
| 2003[31] | 166 |
| 2004 | 244 |
| 2005[32] | 152 |
| 2006 | 146 |
| 2007[33] | 156 |
| 2008 | 119 |
| 2009 | 66 |
| 2010[34] | 63 |
Daimler announced in November 2020 that it planned to double its Maybach sales, based on strong Chinese demand, where the car is used as a limousine.[35]
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