stasisLAX From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 3061 posts, RR: 1 Posted (4 months 1 week 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 2258 times:
Daimler has announced that their high-end and highly exclusive Maybach car brand will be discontinued as of 2013. The car, which was launched in 2002 with two large sedan (Model 57 and even larger Model 62) and has never turned a profit for Daimler, has become a financial strain on the company, which will now focus its attentions on its Mercedes S-class models and the competition between the S-class and both Bentley and Rolls-Royce sedans.
The starting price for a Maybach is about $375,000, which explains why only 200 of them were sold in calendar year 2011. Daimler re-introduced the Maybach brand in order to compete with both Rolls Royce and Bentley, which were purchased by the Daimler's rivals BMW and Volkswagen AG. The best sales year for Maybach was 2004, when only 244 (only a fifth of the projected sales volume for that year!) was sold. The Maybach was first introduced in the 1920s as an ultra-luxury model, similiar to Rolls Royce and Duesenberg.
“Daimler’s management has been searching for a fix for Maybach for years, and until recently considered partnering with British sports-car maker Aston Martin to help lower its production costs. But developing more demand for the über-luxury brand proved perhaps an even more vexing problem,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
One group that warmly embraced the Maybach were "urban" music stars and professional sports superstars - mainly because the Maybach was extremely rare and was powered by a huge 6 liter twin turbo V-12 engine that produced 640 horsepower, making the massive sedan quite fast for its size.
Here’s a case where the brand had caché and image - but the bottom line is that the profits didn’t match that supposed "cache". So Daimler has discontinued the rather garish brand - and will work on making the new Mercedes "Pullman" S-Class a hit in the ultra luxury maket.
stasisLAX From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 3061 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (4 months 1 week 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 2185 times:
Quoting D L X (Reply 1): will not support having a dealership.
A couple of years ago, Mercedes actually bought about a dozen or so USA Maybach dealerships back from the owners because sales didn't merit the number of dealerships that they had.... still didn't help Maybach in the end.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety!" B.Franklin
Jasondn From South Africa, joined Nov 2007, 178 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (4 months 1 week 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 2163 times:
Thank heavens for that! You can't stretch an old S-Class throw a lot of gizmos into it and put the most horrible badge on the bonnet and expect it to compete with the purpose built Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bentley Arnarge & Flying Spur.
That car always gave me the impression of ultimate kitsch. I know from an interior point of view it had everything, but from the outside, it didn't represent wealth or taste. That's my 5 cents worth...lol
ltbewr From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 11686 posts, RR: 8 Reply 4, posted (4 months 1 week 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 2156 times:
I think I have only seen 2 of them on the road, both in NY City. To me it just is so much of a showoff car and never had the cachet of the much more established RR and Bentley.
QFA380 From Australia, joined Jul 2005, 1834 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (4 months 1 week 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 2145 times:
Honestly they are rather ugly and don't even hold a candle to the Rolls.
I thought they were supposed to be more of a limousine though? When if one is getting driven around your more likely to want some relative anonymity to be found in the top end Mercedes or BMW. They don't exactly seem like something you'd drive to the golf club on the weekend, unlike the Rolls which perfectly fits that.
I also doubt trying to make the S-class compete with Rolls Royce will work at all when the badge can be purchased via the C-class for a mere $35000 unlike the spirit of ecstasy.
BMI727 From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 11546 posts, RR: 27 Reply 6, posted (4 months 1 week 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 2120 times:
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): “Daimler’s management has been searching for a fix for Maybach for years, and until recently considered partnering with British sports-car maker Aston Martin to help lower its production costs. But developing more demand for the über-luxury brand proved perhaps an even more vexing problem,”
They never made the move to make Maybach a marque rather than just a car. Luxury and exotic car makers all over are expanding their lineups. It's awfully difficult to be just a one model brand these days outside of the really small shops, the only one I can come up with offhand is Lotus, and they are hardly a showpiece of success. (They have plans for other models, but hard to say if that will ever become reality) There's Bugatti too, but they share some components and keep their line fresh with special models.
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): The starting price for a Maybach is about $375,000, which explains why only 200 of them were sold in calendar year 2011.
I doubt that's why, considering that Rolls Royce sold a record number of cars this year (though much of that was the Ghost) and in 2008 (most recent I could find) moved 1200 or so Phantoms.
Quoting ltbewr (Reply 4): To me it just is so much of a showoff car and never had the cachet of the much more established RR and Bentley.
Actually it was just the opposite. Park a Rolls on the street and everyone will notice it. Park a Maybach on the street and only those with sharp eyes will notice, especially in most large cities where S-Classes are a dime a dozen. Frankly, that's part of why I think it failed ultimately: it was just too incognito and not special enough. It can't compete with the monolithic Rolls and a lot of other very expensive cars in looks and style and those who really value flying under the radar would just as soon use a customized S-Class, Range Rover, Suburban, etc.
Why do Aerospace Engineering students have to turn things in on time?
darksnowynight From United States of America, joined Jan 2012, 189 posts, RR: 1 Reply 7, posted (4 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 2020 times:
Quoting ltbewr (Reply 4): To me it just is so much of a showoff car and never had the cachet of the much more established RR and Bentley.
I think though, that even RR & Bentley have become showoff cars themselves in the last few decades. Given that it is difficult to find features, cabin space, performances, and refinements that are exclusive to RR & Bentley, but somehow not available of BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc, there is little actual value that separates those two from the more "pedestrian" luxury brands.
I'm not sure if it is a coincidence or what, but it seems that as these brands close the gap on RR & Bentley, the latter really have devolved into celebrity-mobiles. Maybach, targeted to that market, might well have been set-up for failure from the get-go, given that no matter what the price, the market just isn't big enough.
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter):
The starting price for a Maybach is about $375,000, which explains why only 200 of them were sold in calendar year 2011. Daimler re-introduced the Maybach brand in order to compete with both Rolls Royce and Bentley, which were purchased by the Daimler's rivals BMW and Volkswagen AG. The best sales year for Maybach was 2004, when only 244 (only a fifth of the projected sales volume for that year!) was sold.
Hmmm... So there are over 100 more 747s built than Maybachs.
Enmity is equal to Wrath x The Speed of Fright Squared
KiwiRob From New Zealand, joined Jun 2005, 3628 posts, RR: 2 Reply 8, posted (4 months 1 week 2 days ago) and read 2004 times:
I think the problem with Maybach is they only had 1 model, what they also needed was a coupe. If they had built the Exelero things might be different for them today.
A tuning company called Xenatec builds a 57S Coupe which looks much better than the sedan. 100 have been built.
BMI727 From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 11546 posts, RR: 27 Reply 9, posted (4 months 1 week 2 days ago) and read 1982 times:
Quoting KiwiRob (Reply 8): I think the problem with Maybach is they only had 1 model, what they also needed was a coupe. If they had built the Exelero things might be different for them today.
If the Exelero were put into production I believe that Maybach would still be around and thriving today. A little bit more tweaking to the Exelero and they could have had a legitimate Veyron competitor.
As it was, the most interesting thing Maybach actually did was make the landaulet, but even that was just a blip on the radar.
Why do Aerospace Engineering students have to turn things in on time?
na From Germany, joined Dec 1999, 8626 posts, RR: 11 Reply 10, posted (4 months 1 week 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 1947 times:
This is old news, already two or 3 months old.
Quoting QFA380 (Reply 5): Honestly they are rather ugly and don't even hold a candle to the Rolls.
I fully agree.
The Maybach debuted at the same time as the RR Phantom. On the Frankfurt show back then I "checked out" both cars, means, I had a longer sit in them. The RR immediately impressed me, while the Maybach looked like a 2002 S-Class pimped up for the Emirates, glitzy, clearly expensive, but vulgar and nouveau riche. Outside, and even more inside. While the RR has a timeless design as always, the Maybach very fast showed its age. I´m surprised this failure survived so long.
Quoting BMI727 (Reply 9): If the Exelero were put into production I believe that Maybach would still be around and thriving today. A little bit more tweaking to the Exelero and they could have had a legitimate Veyron competitor.
While the Exelero looks much better than the limousines and I agree that the one-model strategy was wrong from the start (a convertible and/or Coupe is a must), I do not think it would have saved Maybach. Too aggressive and as a Coupé too much of a niche car.
And the Xenatec still looks too much like an aging (early 2000s) Mercedes. A $500.000 car needs more than that for success.
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): and will work on making the new Mercedes "Pullman" S-Class a hit in the ultra luxury maket.
If such Pullman doesnt look much different than the standard S-Class, it´ll be a flop again. There are stretched versions of the current and last S-Class, they are hideous, and no one buy them. The only possible chance for Mercedes is to build a new car in the tradition of the grand 600 of the 60s/70s (which btw wasnt a big sales success either despite being an engineering marvel). Buyers wouldnt care if its a S-Class underneath as long if its looking much different, looks good and doesnt pay too much attention to current fashion.
cmf From United States of America, joined Jun 2011, 1058 posts, RR: 24 Reply 11, posted (4 months 1 week 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 1942 times:
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): The starting price for a Maybach is about $375,000, which explains why only 200 of them were sold in calendar year 2011.
That's not the problem. I see far more Bugatti's than Maybach and new RR's are too common to care about.
Quoting darksnowynight (Reply 7): Hmmm... So there are over 100 more 747s built than Maybachs.
Statistics, so easy to go wrong.
Don’t repeat earlier generations’ mistakes. Learn history for a better future.
KiwiRob From New Zealand, joined Jun 2005, 3628 posts, RR: 2 Reply 12, posted (4 months 1 week 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 1917 times:
Quoting na (Reply 10): Buyers wouldnt care if its a S-Class underneath as long if its looking much different, looks good and doesnt pay too much attention to current fashion.
Too true, using VW/Bentley as an example how many Flying Spur and Continential owners care that there very expensive cars sit on a VW Phaeton platform. This simple fact is VW/Bentley were smart enough to make the Flying Spur/Continential look completely different from the doner vehicle, Mercedes weren't smart enough to do this with the Maybach.
Charles79 From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 1236 posts, RR: 5 Reply 13, posted (4 months 1 week 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1762 times:
I first read this news as rumours in October last year, and by early December it was confirmed. Coincidentally, magazines were still running reports on the Aston Martin-Maybach link as recently as July so it seems like the Daimler Board wasn't totally convinced to kill off the brand until late last year. Not sure why as it was clear that the brand would never come close to meeting expectations of 1000 sales per year.
Many posters have touched on the styling, stating that it was too close to their S-Class product. I read once that indeed the Maybach was originally intended to be sold under the Mercedes brand (perhaps as a new class, not as an S-Class), and that the decision to make it its own brand was made only after design freeze. This meant that the end product looked like a Mercedes, perhaps too much for its benefit. I also agree with the comments about the interior as well; whereas a cockpit full of buttons and gagdets is ok for an S-Class or an A8, in this price league less is better as the Rolls-Royce interiors have demonstrated.
Quoting D L X (Reply 1): I NEVER saw one outside of Washington or New York.
Quoting ltbewr (Reply 4): I think I have only seen 2 of them on the road, both in NY City.
Maybe it's because I walk a lot but I've seen a fair number of them in NYC, Los Angeles, DC, London, Frankfurt, and quite a few in Southern Florida. I also always noticed that I was the only one looking at them...I figured that most people around thought it was just another Mercedes.
mham001 From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2557 posts, RR: 3 Reply 14, posted (4 months 1 week 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 1727 times:
Quoting BMI727 (Reply 6): It's awfully difficult to be just a one model brand these days outside of the really small shops, the only one I can come up with offhand is Lotus, and they are hardly a showpiece of success.
BMI727 From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 11546 posts, RR: 27 Reply 16, posted (4 months 1 week 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1675 times:
Quoting na (Reply 10): If such Pullman doesnt look much different than the standard S-Class, it´ll be a flop again.
I don't know about that. If the Pullman is more or less an additional trim level focused mainly on interior comfort I think it will do fine. My belief is that part of the failure of Maybach is that in terms of looks and style, it seemed to fall into the chasm between buyers who want to stand out (RR, Bugatti, Bentley) and those who want to be incognito (S-Class, Range Rover, et. al).
Quoting na (Reply 10): There are stretched versions of the current and last S-Class, they are hideous, and no one buy them.
I think that they should offer an extended wheelbase, but not to full out limo length. Really, just do the Maybach 62 as an S-Class.
Not here. And the US is a very important market for exotic and luxury cars. Even when offering the Elise and Exige here their market was so narrow that they were a step or two above being a kit car manufacturer. And of course Lotus too has a high reliance on others' components, most notably engines.
Why do Aerospace Engineering students have to turn things in on time?
poLOT From United States of America, joined Jul 2011, 475 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (4 months 1 week 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 1627 times:
Quoting 747400sp (Reply 17): It is too bad that Maybach did not make it. Maybach was to Mercedes as Cadillac to the Chevrolet, the crown jewels of the company.
Not really. This is the first time that the brand made cars under Damiler ownership, and the first time Maybach had produced cars since WWII. That was part of the problem though, Maybach has (had) absolutely no brand cache; nobody remembered the originals.
LMP737 From United States of America, joined May 2002, 4459 posts, RR: 27 Reply 19, posted (4 months 1 week 12 hours ago) and read 1503 times:
Quoting na (Reply 10): The Maybach debuted at the same time as the RR Phantom. On the Frankfurt show back then I "checked out" both cars, means, I had a longer sit in them. The RR immediately impressed me, while the Maybach looked like a 2002 S-Class pimped up for the Emirates, glitzy, clearly expensive, but vulgar and nouveau riche. Outside, and even more inside. While the RR has a timeless design as always, the Maybach very fast showed its age. I´m surprised this failure survived so long.
Another thing about the Maybach is that it looks like a lot of other cars out there. When you see a RR there is no mistaking it for anything else.
The Maybachs are monuments of ugliness, obnoxiousness and gaudiness.
Arguably the ultimate rich man's 'I have no taste in cars' statement, or a bling toy for unfortunately notorious rappers.
They actually manage to not look any uglier when fitted with oversized spinners, which says it all.
And to add insult to injury, they're just souped up S-classes, for 4 times the price...
...I'm unsure whether I'm able to effectively convey my hatred for these things.
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit posting...
RayChuang From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 7560 posts, RR: 6 Reply 23, posted (4 months 1 week 6 hours ago) and read 1438 times:
The reason why Daimler-Benz ended the Maybach models was they never had the cachet of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley model, especially since both Rolls-Royce and Bentley substantially updated their model lines in the past decade. It's kind of hard to beat the luxury of the Rolls-Royce Phantom or the all-out performance of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
KiwiRob From New Zealand, joined Jun 2005, 3628 posts, RR: 2 Reply 24, posted (4 months 1 week 1 hour ago) and read 1404 times:
Quoting RayChuang (Reply 23): It's kind of hard to beat the luxury of the Rolls-Royce Phantom or the all-out performance of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
The Maybach didn't competewith the Continential Flying Spur, the S65 AMG is the Flying Spur competitor, the Maybach competes against the Mulsanne.
RayChuang From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 7560 posts, RR: 6 Reply 25, posted (4 months 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 1413 times:
Quoting KiwiRob (Reply 24): The Maybach didn't competewith the Continential Flying Spur, the S65 AMG is the Flying Spur competitor, the Maybach competes against the Mulsanne.
However, the M-B S65 AMG never had the circa 195 mph top speed that the Continental Flying Spur has--I believe M-B limited the top speed to 300 km/h (186 mph). Mind you, I'm sure AMG could quietly "remove" that limitation on the engine computer at customer request and the S65 AMG could probably exceed 200 mph.
na From Germany, joined Dec 1999, 8626 posts, RR: 11 Reply 26, posted (4 months 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 1409 times:
Quoting RayChuang (Reply 25): However, the M-B S65 AMG never had the circa 195 mph top speed that the Continental Flying Spur has--I believe M-B limited the top speed to 300 km/h (186 mph). Mind you, I'm sure AMG could quietly "remove" that limitation on the engine computer at customer request and the S65 AMG could probably exceed 200 mph.
Sure, but its still a "mere" Mercedes S, and therefore not a member of the ultimate luxury Class, no matter how much they put inside, and how much they charge for it.
Charles79 From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 1236 posts, RR: 5 Reply 27, posted (4 months 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 1408 times:
Quoting na (Reply 26): Sure, but its still a "mere" Mercedes S, and therefore not a member of the ultimate luxury Class, no matter how much they put inside, and how much they charge for it.
Still I reckon it's cheaper/easier to "upgrade" the S-Class to Continental FS level than to try and develop a bespoke brand to compete with RR and Bentley.
IMHO, the market for Über-Luxury Saloons is not large enough to support more than two competitors (Mulsanne and Phantom). The level right below that is a bit bigger, though, stretching from the upper levels of the "mass" market luxury brands (Panamera Turbo S, 760Li, S600/S65 AMG, A8 W12) to the "cheaper" RR and Bentley offerings (Ghost and Continental). I'd guess that there's still a lot of money to be made in this category of ~ €200K to compensate for not having a competitor in the Phantom/Mulsanne league.
Maybach would have made more sense had they offered the S-Class based vehicle as the base model with enough visual differentiation at the €200K price point (perhaps with the AMG V12 engine) and a truly bespoke, Phantom challenger in the €350K bracket. BMW and Volkswagen are essentially doing this successfully (Ghost and Continental based on the 7-Series/Phaeton respectively, Phantom and Mulsanne on their own platforms).
metalinyoni From UK - England, joined Oct 2005, 242 posts, RR: 0 Reply 28, posted (4 months 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 1406 times:
what I think Merc should have done is used the Merc chassis and engines (like BMW in the RR Ghost) but gone to an external design house to design a body that was unique and quite distinct from Mercedes Benz.
No one wants to spend $350K on a car that you can see shares DNA with an $20k A-class. I like Merc's but I think the brand has been stretched too far to included a top of the range competitor to the more expensive Bentley's and Rolls Royce's.
Less is more. Unless you're standing next to the one with more. Then less just looks pathetic.
na From Germany, joined Dec 1999, 8626 posts, RR: 11 Reply 29, posted (4 months 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 1403 times:
Quoting Charles79 (Reply 27): Still I reckon it's cheaper/easier to "upgrade" the S-Class to Continental FS level than to try and develop a bespoke brand to compete with RR and Bentley.
Cheaper, and cheaper looking. With this Mercedes quits the ultimate top end of the market, while having a chance to catch a significant part of the bigger market niche below it (the 150.000-300.000 $ niche currently occupied by the likes of Bentley Flying Spur, Maserati Quattroporte, and, less so, RR Ghost, but there the problems begin as no Mercedes will ever reach the aloofness of RR).
Quoting Charles79 (Reply 27): IMHO, the market for Über-Luxury Saloons is not large enough to support more than two competitors (Mulsanne and Phantom).
You are right. Even with China the market for ultra-luxury limousines hasnt grown bigger than 4000 - 5000 cars per year, of which RR traditionally holds over 50% - and that continuously since a hundred years. Mercedes´ surrender is almost a guarantee for a prosperous future of RR and Bentley. I do not think that Bugatti´s plans will bring in a major shake-up here, as the future Galibier will likely be twice as expensive (while being considerably less roomy) as even the most expensive RR, and that means Bugatti wont sell much more than 100 cars per year of it.
KiwiRob From New Zealand, joined Jun 2005, 3628 posts, RR: 2 Reply 30, posted (4 months 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 1398 times:
Quoting Charles79 (Reply 27): IMHO, the market for Über-Luxury Saloons is not large enough to support more than two competitors (Mulsanne and Phantom).
Discounting the Maybach, there is only 1 uber luxury saloon the Phanton, the Mulsanne is the next rung down, it's priced in the same space as the Ghost, the Flying Spur and the S65 AMG are direct competitors, however they fit in under the Mulsanne and Ghost. The next uber luxury saloon with be the Bugatti Galibier, until then the Phanton is pretty much on it own now the Maybach is going.
Pyrex From Portugal, joined Aug 2005, 3212 posts, RR: 30 Reply 31, posted (4 months 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 1294 times:
Damn... I was going to get one. Maybe two (a 57 in blue and silver and a 62 in silver and blue, just to be safe). Does anybody know how long they will be taking orders for? I need to wait for my IRS refund check.
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Pellegrine From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 1625 posts, RR: 9 Reply 32, posted (4 months 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 1270 times:
I'll kind of miss it. It's like the only competition to the RR Phantom. At first the Maybach 62 seemed so blah...like a bloated S-class. But then the Phantom seemed so gaudy, and the 62 more staid and appropriate. I always liked the fact that they were really challenging the dominance of Rolls-Royce in the uber-lux sector.
You just can't expect to keep the same boring design for 10 years and expect to sell more than 50 in the US market in 2011.
Quoting RayChuang (Reply 25): However, the M-B S65 AMG never had the circa 195 mph top speed that the Continental Flying Spur has--I believe M-B limited the top speed to 300 km/h (186 mph). Mind you, I'm sure AMG could quietly "remove" that limitation on the engine computer at customer request and the S65 AMG could probably exceed 200 mph.
You can always get it tuned by Renntech or Brabus. This engine is so strong I think they'll push it to about 700bhp and 850-900lb-ft torque. If you had a straight, long, and smooth enough road you could probably get to 210+mph. Coefficient of drag is the limiting factor here. SL65 AMG with upgrades can definitely approach and reach in excess of 220 mph given a long enough road (3+ statute miles). Where's that 25,000 foot runway when you need it?
Quoting Pyrex (Reply 31): Damn... I was going to get one. Maybe two (a 57 in blue and silver and a 62 in silver and blue, just to be safe). Does anybody know how long they will be taking orders for? I need to wait for my IRS refund check.
IRS? If you had the proper accountants you wouldn't be paying enough to get a refund at all. I never get a refund anyway, but I hardly every owe anything...damned quarterly estimated tax. I'll call a local dealer tomorrow and ask about 2012 models and get back.
Pellegrine From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 1625 posts, RR: 9 Reply 33, posted (3 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 964 times:
Quoting KiwiRob (Reply 30): The next uber luxury saloon with be the Bugatti Galibier
AA777 From United States of America, joined May 1999, 2429 posts, RR: 39 Reply 34, posted (3 months 2 weeks 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 945 times:
I always thought they were heinous.... The RR Phantom and Bentley Flying Spur or Mulsanne have always done uber-luxury better. Much more beautiful than that eyesore, the Maybach.
I guess Madonna is going to have to find a different ride, last I checked, she had two Maybachs. I recall very clearly her talking about how she only found happiness once she understood that the "material things in life don't bring happiness..." .... as she recorded from the back of a Maybach. HAHAHA.
When the government fears the people, there is liberty; when the people fear the government, there is tyranny.
falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5177 posts, RR: 33 Reply 35, posted (3 months 2 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 914 times:
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): was powered by a huge 6 liter twin turbo V-12 engine that produced 640 horsepower, making the massive sedan quite fast for its size.
I drove one, in 2004, at Mid-Ohio Raceway near Mansfield, Ohio. MB brought the car to Star Fest '04, which was the national meet for the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. A lot of club members took their turn driving it. It was rather fast for such a big car but most of us felt it was more a car to be driven in than to actually drive. My dad never drove it, but rode around in the backseat for a while, which he really enjoyed. Even if I had the kind of money to afford that kind of car I would rather have a late 1960s Mercedes-Benz 600. The 600 was more dignified and doesn't make you look like a money wasting hip hop "artist".
Braniff747SP From United States of America, joined Oct 2008, 2037 posts, RR: 1 Reply 36, posted (3 months 2 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 911 times:
Quoting falstaff (Reply 35): 1960s Mercedes-Benz 600. The 600 was more dignified and doesn't make you look like a money wasting hip hop "artist".
Exactly my choice if I wanted to be driven around.
As far as I'm concerned, Maybach is a brand for the nouveau riche- no one with any taste in true cars could drive one.
The 747 will always be the TRUE queen of the skies!
mham001 From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2557 posts, RR: 3 Reply 37, posted (3 months 2 weeks 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 874 times:
Quoting BMI727 (Reply 16): Not here. And the US is a very important market for exotic and luxury cars. Even when offering the Elise and Exige here their market was so narrow that they were a step or two above being a kit car manufacturer. And of course Lotus too has a high reliance on others' components, most notably engines.
All that could be true, just saying that they are not a one model brand as you stated. Beyond that, there are plenty of good reasons to suggest that the US is no longer the sole center of the earth for exotic car sales.
stasisLAX From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 3061 posts, RR: 1 Reply 39, posted (3 months 2 weeks 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 789 times:
Quoting falstaff (Reply 35): It was rather fast for such a big car but most of us felt it was more a car to be driven in than to actually drive.
Car and Driver magazine track tested a 2008 Maybach 57S and found that it did zero to 60mph in 5 seconds and had a top speed of 171 miles per hour. But weighing nearly 3 tons killed any "sporty" handling.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety!" B.Franklin
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If the Exelero were put into production I believe that Maybach would still be around and thriving today. A little bit more tweaking to the Exelero and they could have had a legitimate Veyron competitor. 
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