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Maybach

For other uses, see Maybach (disambiguation).

Maybach (German: [ˈmaɪbax], MY-baakh)[1] is a German luxury car brand owned by and a part of Mercedes-Benz AG. The original company was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl Maybach, originally as a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, and it was known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1999.

Maybach
Company typeSubsidiary (GmbH)
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1909; 115 years ago (1909)
FounderWilhelm Maybach
Defunct1960 (bought by Daimler-Benz)
2013 (as a standalone brand)
Fate1960: bought by Daimler-Benz
2002: standalone brand
2015: Mercedes sub-brand
SuccessorMercedes-Maybach
HeadquartersStuttgart, Germany
ProductsLuxury vehicles
ParentMercedes-Benz
Websitemaybach.com
Maybach SW 42, 1939

In 1960, Maybach was acquired by Daimler-Benz. The name returned as a standalone ultra-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 the Mercedes-Benz Group owns. As of 2021, Daimler produces an ultra-luxury edition of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class under the Mercedes-Maybach name.[2]

1909–1940: Early history

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Wilhelm Maybach was the technical director of the Daimler-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 son Karl Maybach as director.[citation needed] In 1912, they renamed it to Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH ("Maybach Engine Construction Company"). The company originally developed and manufactured diesel and petrol engines for Zeppelins, and then rail cars. Its Maybach 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.16E1 Cruiser tank design.[3]

1940–1945

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Captured Sturmgeschütz III assault gun, derived from the Panzer III medium tank, also with a Maybach engine, at the Bulgarian National Museum of Military History
Main article: List of WWII Maybach engines

During the Second World War, Maybach produced the engines for most of Nazi Germany's tanks and half-tracks. These included almost all the production tank engines through Panzer I, II, III, IV and V, the Tiger I and II (Maybach HL230) and other heavy tanks: and also engines for half-tracks such as the Sd.Kfz. 251 personnel carrier and prime movers like the Sd.Kfz. 9. The engine plant was one of several industries targeted at Friedrichshafen.

After WWII, the factory performed some repair work, but automotive production was never restarted, and some 20 years later, the company was renamed MTU Friedrichshafen.

1960s

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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 in Friedrichshafen, used to manufacture the commercial Maybach diesel engines under the MTU brand through its subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH.[when?]

1997–2013

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Maybach 62
 
Maybach 57

Daimler presented a luxury concept car at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show. A production model based on it was introduced in two sizes – the Maybach 57 and the Maybach 62, reflecting the lengths of the automobiles in decimetres. In 2005 the 57S was added, powered by a 6.0 L V12 bi-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 heir Ulrich Schmid-Maybach and golfer Nick Faldo to serve as brand ambassadors.[4]

Initially, Daimler-Chrysler predicted annual sales of 2,000 worldwide with 50 percent coming from the United States; however, these expectations never materialized.[5][6] In 2007, Mercedes bought back 29 US dealers, reducing the total from 71 to 42.[7] In 2010, only 157 Maybachs were sold worldwide, compared to 2,711 similarly priced Rolls-Royces.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10][11]

Cancellation

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With poor sales and the heavy impact of the financial crisis of 2007–2008, Daimler AG undertook a complete review of the Maybach division,[12] approaching Aston Martin to engineer and style the next generation of Maybach models along with the next generation of Lagondas.[13] According to Automotive News, only 44 Maybachs had been sold in the US in the first ten months of 2011.[14]

An article in Fortune 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 the Volkswagen 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.[8]

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 the Mercedes-Benz S-Class flagship sedan, whereas Rolls-Royce and Bentley are assembled in England (separate from the rest of BMW and Volkswagen 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;[13] indeed the 2006 Rolls-Royce Phantom's interior evokes memories of a 1930s car while the Maybach 57S's inside makes no reference to its marque's history.[15]

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 the Mercedes-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.[16] 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.[17] On 17 December 2012, the last Maybach vehicle was manufactured in Sindelfingen.[18]

2015–present

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Revival

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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 the long 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."[19]

Mercedes-Maybach

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Rear seats of a Mercedes-Maybach S 650

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. In anticipation of its April 2015 launch,[20] the flagship Mercedes-Maybach S600 was unveiled at car shows in Los Angeles, United States, and Guangzhou, China,[21] and the production model at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.[22] During the facelift, the S 500 and S 550 were redesignated S 560 and the flagship was renamed S 650.

Assembled on the same Sindelfingen line used for the S-Class, the model is targeted against the Bentley Mulsanne and Rolls-Royce Phantom.[23] 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.[24][25] Acceleration is 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97 km/h) in 5.0 seconds.[26] 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 watt Burmester 3D surround sound system with 24 speakers.[23] Maybach S500 assembly in Pune, India, began in September 2015, making India the second country to produce a Maybach.[27][28]

Concept cars

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The first Mercedes-Maybach concept car is the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, a large two-door coupe with a fully electric drivetrain. The model was unveiled at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.[29]

Models

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Pre-war

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1937 Maybach SW 38

2 were the 5.7 L inline six engines built for and ordered by Spyker. Not all were purchased, and Karl had to build cars featuring the engines to offset costs.

Around 1800 Maybachs were built before WWII.

Engines

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Main article: List of WWII Maybach engines

Post-revival

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Maybach Exelero at the Concours d'Elegance
 
Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet at Geneve Motor Show 2017
 
Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 (2024)

Sales

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Calendar year US sales
2003[30] 166
2004 244
2005[31] 152
2006 146
2007[32] 156
2008 119
2009[33] 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]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Wilhelm Maybach". Forvo, the pronunciation dictionary. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  2. ^ Tschampa, Dorothee (11 November 2014). "Mercedes Revives Maybach Name to Challenge Rolls-Royce". Bloomberg.
  3. ^ David Fletcher, David Wiley, et al., "Workshop Manual: Tiger Tank Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E (Sd.Kfz. 181)", Haynes in conjunction with The Tank Museum, 2011, p. 19.
  4. ^ Hodzic, Muamer (19 March 2007). "Nick Faldo is the new Maybach brand ambassador". BenzInsider.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  5. ^ Mack, Eric. "DaimlerChrysler Turns Profit on $300,000 Maybach". Edmunds.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  6. ^ "Can Maybach Be Mended?". Automobile.automotive.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  7. ^ Neff, John. "Mercedes-Benz buys back and closes 29 Maybach dealers". Autoblog.com. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Mercedes puts Maybach out of its misery". CNN. 28 November 2011.
  9. ^ "Maybach is Dead, Long Live Mercedes". Top Gear. BBC Worldwide: 29. January 2012.
  10. ^ "Stilles Ende einer Autolegende" [Quiet end to an automotive legend]. Tagesschau.de (in German). 25 November 2011.
  11. ^ Taylor III, Alex (28 November 2011). "Mercedes puts Maybach out of its misery". CNN Money. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  12. ^ Johnson, Drew (13 June 2011). "Daimler to rule on future of Maybach next month". Leftlanenews.com. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  13. ^ a b Fuhrmans, Vanessa (8 August 2011). "A Handful of Maybachs Isn't Enough". The Wall Street Journal.
  14. ^ "Daimler To Discontinue Maybach Brand in 2013". torontostar.morningstar.ca. 28 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012.
  15. ^ Valdes-Dapena, Peter (22 March 2006). "Rolls-Royce vs. Maybach". CNN.com.
  16. ^ "Traditionsmarke: Daimler beendet Maybach-Ära". ftd.de (in German). 25 November 2011. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011.
  17. ^ "Maybach Comes to a Quiet End". insideline.com. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  18. ^ Pretzlaff, Harry (30 December 2012). "Ende der Luxusmarke: Für den Maybach war nichts zu teuer". stuttgarter-zeitung.de (in German).
  19. ^ Hetzner, Christiaan (25 November 2011). "Daimler pulls plug on loss-making Maybach – paper". Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  20. ^ "2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600 Sedan". Mbusa.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Maybach is back! Mercedes revamps car naming structure". Auto Express. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  22. ^ "Mercedes-Maybach Pullman S600 limo to debut at Geneva auto show". Autonews. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  23. ^ a b Holder, Jim (13 January 2015). "2015 Mercedes-Maybach S600 – prices, specification and gallery". Autocar. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  24. ^ Turkus, Brandon (19 November 2014). "Mercedes-Maybach S600 is not the luxury limo we expected". Autoblog.com. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  25. ^ "Mercedes-Maybach S-Class: Stylish, effortless superiority combined with trend-setting exclusivity" (Press release). Mercedes-Benz. 19 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  26. ^ Neil, Dan (7 February 2015). "Mercedes-Maybach S600: The Silence Is Deafening". The Wall Street Journal. p. D11.
  27. ^ "Mercedes-Maybach S500 and S600 Launched in India". Archived from the original on 3 October 2015.
  28. ^ "Mercedes-Maybach S 500 and S 600 Launched in India". Archived from the original on 8 October 2015.
  29. ^ "Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept coupe previews 2017 production car". Auto Express. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  30. ^ "2004 Highest Year on Record for Mercedes-Benz USA". Theautochannel.com. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  31. ^ "Mercedes-Benz Rings in the New Year with Record 2006 Sales". Theautochannel.com. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  32. ^ "Mercedes-Benz USA's Sales Drop 32.1 Percent In December 2008". Emercedesbenz.com. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  33. ^ "Mercedes-Benz Posts Highest Sales Month for the Year With 20,025 Vehicles Sold in December – MONTVALE, N.J., 5 Jan. /PRNewswire/". New Jersey: Prnewswire.com. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  34. ^ "Highest Sales Month for the Year at 21,469 Brings Mercedes-Benz to an..." New Jersey: Prnewswire.com. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  35. ^ "Luxury carmaker Maybach has high ambitions for China". BBC News. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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