The car MUST be a MAYBACH and not a SUPER MERCEDES as the current one, and so they have to seriously redefine their design philisophy.

Stop production of course.

the production of the 52 should be stopped,because thats just a super s class,the 62 is something else,but they also have to make a something special of the 62,not a longer s class just like now how it is.

But, to be perfectly honest, if I could afford a Maybach, I would choose the 57 over the 62 any day - I realize that the nouveau-riche of Shanghai and Moscow wouldn't be seen dead in anything shorter than 6 metres, but the 57 is much more sensible and dignified - the 62 is somehow just a bit too over-indulgent - and for what exactly? - a glorified sunroof and a couple of reclining chairs. I seriously doubt that many people in the Market for a Maybach would spend much time stretched out in their back seat drinking champagne.

But the thing is Maybach has always been more or less a "Mercedes" because Maybach was one of their premiere engineers. It's a cousin of Mercedes-Benz.

Sorry to keep reviving old posts :P But it's true. If you were in the market to buy a Maybach (and most who are have several other cars and drive all of them very rarely) would you be in it enough to even enjoy the back seat? Even if chauffeur driven, the 57 is a phenomenal compromise because you can drive it yourself and still enjoy every bit of the car.

I think this issue has come up again because of the Ocean Driver concept. I feel it should have been a Maybach. If Maybach isn't getting a 4-door convertible what are they getting to keep the brand going then?

M

then what about the people who want to drive themselves?
you wouldn't want to be seen driving a 62

what they should do is differentiate maybach and the s class in terms of styling.

Maybach has two major problems that were the main reasons for it to fail beating RR and Bentley:

1. Marketing: The car was miserabely marketed. MB did the same freaking mistake they did with smart.. they bet that people will buy it blindly just depending on the fact that the car is actually a Mercedes. But that didn't work out, because Mercedes is entering new land here agains some giants who've been in the buisness for ages. So they decided to give it a glorious name for the past.. but who the hell knows what Maybach was? What was their history? what are the advantages of taking its new version over an RR with all its glorious history, powerful name and mighty image? You can't just present a car of which 80% of the world never heard, load it with luxury, demand half a million for it and be sure that it will be sold like hot cakes.. i mean come on.. There had to be some powerful marketing campaign to let the world know what Maybach is about and how glorious their history was. The concept shown in 1997 was presented as a Mercedes model under the name "Mercedes Maybach" and jounalists and people were amazed, because it was not only the luxury and innovation that the were attracted to, but the name of Mercedes. with its powerful image, people knew what they're getting if the car was built.

2. Design: another major mistake which is connected to the problem mentiond above. When presenting a car as a whole new product, you need to give it a whole new character and presence. A bigger S-class won't do it. People who would buy such a car want to be unique and be recognized as unique. The car needed to be given a whole new design that makes the car stand for itself and not be confused with a "normal" Benz. This is an other point where RR and Bentley were much stronger. They stood for ther own character and own history. I don't see that the Phantom is in any way looking like a BMW or Bentley like a VW!

these two major mistakes MB did are dependent form each other.. they had to do both right to be successful, but they -unfortunately screwd both.

so my advice to DC: cut it or give it an own character.

Well said, my friend!