Mercedes-Benz discontinues its Maybach luxury line
The luxurious Maybach 62. Image: Ed Callow [torque speak
Pricy Maybachs have moved slowly
There is not a lot of speculation as to why Daimler AG has decided to let the line go. Sales have been more than slow for all three Maybach models. Price tags for the cars range from $376,300 all the way up to a staggering $1,380,000. The peak of its U.S. sales were in 2004, when the company sold just 244 sedans. The automaker only moved 99 of them in the U.S. last year, even while offering an unheard of $100,000 rebate.
2012 models likely to sell at discount
Maybach will be selling off its remaining 2012 models, probably at substantial discounts, but that will be the end of the line, which was itself a revival of one kaput in the World War II era.
A tale of three revivals
In the 1990s, all three major German automakers decided to create super-luxury lines, using respected names from the past. Volkswagen revived the Bentley, BMW acquired Rolls-Royce, and Mercedes took on the even more-distant Maybach line. However, the limo-like super-luxury sedans never took off for any automaker in a way that was hoped for.
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Maybach models
All three models of the Maybach line are going: The Maybach Type 57, the Myabach Type 62 and the impossibly cushy Maybach Landulet. The 57 and the 62 both pack a 5.5 liter V12 engine that gives 543 horsepower. The Landulet has a 6.0 liter V12 that produces 620 horsepower.
The return of the Pullman
But Daimler still is extending luxury buyers the courtesy of new cars for the segment, which, conveniently, will also compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley. To that end, it is adding a top-of-the-line model to its S series. According to AOL Autos, that will be the 600S Pullman, reviving another model moniker from the past. Rumor has it that it will come with options for any type of engine, included a four cylinder diesel variant.
The Mercedes-Benz 600, launched in 1963, was a line of luxury cars. A long wheel-base version of that model was known as the Pullman.