The plan was nothing if not ambitious: Dust off a long-dead nameplate with zero recognition, take on Rolls-Royce for the title of Best--or at least Most Expensive--Car in the World, and sell about 1000 examples a year to the superrich.



The Maybach arrived for the 2004 model year and very quickly proved just how ambitious that plan was. Particularly the last part. The brand sold a grand total of 146 cars in the United States last year and 152 the year before--about one-third of Rolls-Royce's U.S. sales. Uh-oh.

"Although it took a while to sink in, everyone involved knows now that it's not the brand that's at fault," claims one Maybach source. "It's the current product in general and the design in particular. The Exelero show car did more for us than all the tweaks to the 57/62 series combined. Recently, we presented our management a couple of promising concepts, among them a four-seat luxury coupe. But at the moment, most of our work is undercover. You just can't fire a bunch of people at Chrysler and simultaneously spend millions on a new Maybach."

One possible short-term boost could come from a Maybach edition of the Mercedes-Benz GL-class SUV. Don't laugh. Cheap to build and expensive to buy, the Maybach GL would be the brand's first real moneymaker. The plan is to give it a Maybach grille, new bumpers, a revised rear end, more brightwork, and wider wheels. The cabin would be upgraded with top-grade leather and wood and rear lounge seats like those in the 57/62. Some 1500 vehicles would be sold, but only outside of Europe.

Ultimately, however, everyone agrees that what Maybach really needs is a new mid-size model priced in the $225,000-to-$275,000 bracket. "The best bet is a stylish and powerful four-door, four-seat coupe--kind of a bigger CLS for the very rich," says our friend in product planning.

That project is based on the S-class. The design is brand-new, and it's said to be much more convincing than Maybach's first effort. Unusual elements include unique exterior lighting that emits a soft glow accentuating certain body contours, a variable-tint glass roof, and a gauge cluster whose display changes based on driving conditions. For propulsion, engineers favor the 5.5-liter turbo V-12, which can make up to 600 hp and more than 700 lb-ft of torque.

But the big question is whether management will pour still more cash into Maybach--or will this nameplate be allowed to slip back into the past?
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Automobile and CAR are working together, this is a repost from the Maybach at the Crossroads article/thread.

M

I hope this isn't true about a rebadged GL!

If Maybach just makes rebadged mercs, that will be the end of them!

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Hopefuly they won't sink. They producing beautiful cars.

Hmmm, I just can't love that Exelero -- I honestly think it is hideous.

I agree. I know many people on this forum love the car but I never understood what's so great about it. Anyway, I find the Maybach future plans very interesting although the SUV would kill Maybach. The Coupé on the other hand sounds like a great idea.

the excelero si brutal, but little beyond this
it is loved ebcause it has an identity, unlike the other MM's, although for me a bad identity is nearly akin to none at all
it's more than hideous, and it can't revive a brand on tis own
the maybach nameplate needs a complete refounding, rethinking, not just new models
it's placement has to be reconsidered, and the brand identity remoulded, into somehitn complete
it must either be closer to MB (think of bentley FS) or farthest possible (phantom)
now? it's just a mess

Maybach to bite the dust? Daimler may pull the plug


We almost forgot that Maybach still exists as an Uber-premium brand, but its future is certainly questionable. Maybach sold only 146 cars last year, or one-tenth the projected amount.
The company, which sells only 2 versions of the same car in XL [57] and XXL [63] sizes, is not scheduled to get any new products anytime soon. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche argues that the Maybach brand shows that they can compete with the most pretigious of brands, Rolls Royce. Well, his definition of ‘compete’ must be slightly different than ours though.

In terms of profitability, it’s been said that the investment on Maybach was minimal as the car was based in part on the last generation S-class. Why they had to make that painfully obvious with the exterior styling, interior components and base-model S-class style wheels though, is a mystery.
Zetsche mentioned that the decision will be made in the next two years whether to expand the brand’s offerings or let it get deep-six’ed.
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Maybach has two major problems.

1) Zero brand recognition - the Maybach name belonged to the pre-World War II era and even then it was not a well known brandname outside of Continental Europe. The Maybach name was only dusted off by Mercedes Benz after they failed to acquire Rolls Royce/Bentley in the mid 1990's. But lustre associated with the Maybach name has long faded and Mercedes really has not done a good job in resurrecting the brand.

2) The current Maybach 57/62 models are perceived as no more than a glorified S Class. They may have all the bells and whistles. But they all (except the reclining chairs) came from the S Class. The Maybach's style, proportion, and stance are all heavily derived from the W140 S Class even though Mercedes tried at great lengths to convince us that the Maybach did not share any common parts with the S Class. The Rolls Royce Phantom on the other hand is built on a bespoke platform that is exclusive to Rolls Royce. Nothing on the Phantom would give away the fact that it was engineered by BMW.

The Maybach brand may be down but it is far from dead. I am not sure if Mercedes would consider replacing the slow-selling 57/62 models. But Mercedes must add a smaller Maybach limosine beneath the 57/62 and above the S Class. This model must not be derived from the S Class and must be flexible enough for other future Maybachs to be based upon. It must drive, feel, and look different from a S Class. I am thinking of something slightly longer than a S Class in length, at least a foot taller in height with more upright and thicker A & C pillars for enhanced presence. The front end (especially the grill) must stand proud and tall like the legendary 600s. The interior must look totally different from the S Class or the Bentley Arnage. I am thinking of something more modern, even futuristic (but still plenty of wood and leather), and bespoke. Maybach must not follow what Bentley did with the Brooklands (granted its based on the old and tiring Arnage). The Brooklands' interior has great ambience no doubt, but all those messy dials and switches on the dashboard made the car looked like it belonged to the 1970's.