Sadly for Maybach, I think they may have left the launch of a production Excelero a little too long -- the world has moved on since it was first shown two years ago -- since then we have seen numerous other exiting new vehicles. I think Maybach need to get their act together and produce a Flying Spur competitor -- even if it does cut into S600/S65 sales, they need to lift the profile (and viability) of the Maybach brand.

A sedan/4 door coupe/what ever with a 200k asking price would be perfect. there are barely any cars in that spectrum and the car would not leech customer from the S600.

Yeah it is just a matter of time before the 225K Arnage gets some competitors. Maybach and Rolls need to attack that segment head-on. The Arnage is a glorious old girl, but she is old and outdated when it comes to these newer German-engineered masterpieces. What I'm really waiting to see is what Bentley does with her.

Maybach has got come up with a look that is different, yet beautiful...hard to do when the last models weren't anything special and the last real Maybachs were 70 years ago. I wouldn't want to be in charge at Maybach, must be a stressful job when you simply don't know how to save a sinking ship. Hire back Brunno Saco and let him design one I say.

M

No new sources, just that magazine in one of the major British car magazines which has be recycled into Automobile. The article came with spy pics of the MM62 in camouflage.

I agree with your statement regarding the high degree of difficulty in coming up with a look that is both different and beautiful at the same time. Actually, it's even more difficult than that - the Maybach is so expensive and the styling, the presence, the materials, etc. all must reflect this reality as well.

So, a Maybach needs to look:

Different
Wonderful
Expensive

That's a tough design brief for a saloon these days. Maybe they just need to pick a designer's vision for the brand and simply roll the dice. Can it be worse than the results so far?

If they do that, I say Brunno Saco is the man. Either him or some Italian design house. Anyone, but the folks who draw "regular" Mercedes.

M

You know, I think you have something there. Either choice would be a bold one and perhaps just the medicine the sick patient needs.

Yep. They've got think outside the box this time around. A look-a-like Benz that cost 2-3 times the price of an S-Class isnt' gonna cut it! I hope they realize this.

M

I think it would be VERY interesting to see what one of the Italian design houses could do with a car that massive. That's a lot sheetmetal to play with and a lot of interior space. Kind of like asking them to do a Cadillac Escalade, you know?

It precisely this market segment where the new Rolls-Royce model will compete.
Unfortunately, I am not so optimistic. Mercedes design standards have fallen since Sacco left. The ODC is not an ugly concept, but it will date very quickly --Mercedes design has become chaotic and unprincipled. They have tried too hard to keep up with BMW's bold styling ....but the difference is BMW's design has purpose and clear intentions -- with Mercedes, it is not much more than superficial styling.

Sacco was not a stylist, he was a designer. Every design was conceived with a clear intention which adhered to traditional Modern design ideology -- the iconic aspects of Sacco's designs were not merely there for cosmetic reasons, they were the result of deliberate intentions and strict principles.

Of course, I recognize that Mercedes has to keep up with changing trends, but that does not require them to deny their design heritage and principles in favour of insincere, pretentious, purely eye-catching styling.

Mercedes continues to use elements of past designs ...but they are used without the traditional Mercedes design principles. This might not be completely obvious to everyone, but it does result in the current designs lacking authenticity IMO.