While not a common household name worldwide, true enthusiasts know of the luxury that can come from Maybach automobiles. The German cars were founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl. They began with a test car in 1919 that would 2 years later be produced for the public to purchase. There were a number of vehicles, including the Maybach sedan, introduced in the first years of the company. Like many pre-war automobile companies, it seemed to fold after the war had ended and production of c... (full review continues below)
While not a common household name worldwide, true enthusiasts know of the luxury that can come from Maybach automobiles. The German cars were founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl. They began with a test car in 1919 that would 2 years later be produced for the public to purchase. There were a number of vehicles, including the Maybach sedan, introduced in the first years of the company. Like many pre-war automobile companies, it seemed to fold after the war had ended and production of cars resumed worldwide.
In 1960 Daimler-Benz acquired the company and renamed it to fit in better with their own vehicles. However, it was not until many years later that the vehicle name would be used again in the production of an automobile. It would be a Maybach sedan produced from Mercedes-Benz under the name of simply Maybach. The goal was to create a vehicle that could compete on the high-end level of the Rolls and Bentley names, so in 2000 the badge was revised as a standalone vehicle. The re-introduction of the Maybach line of cars offered many standard features and a host of options for buyers.
There were two versions of the Maybach sedan that were released to the publicn during this time. They were known as the Maybach 57 and the Maybach 62 with the number corresponding to the size of the vehicle. The 57 is based on the S-Class sedan from Mercedes Benz and was actually classified as a top luxury car, beating out the competitors that Daimler had hoped to match up against. The 62 is based on the same line of sedans and even featured a Zeppelin edition that boasted more luxuries than the original models. The Zeppelin name was derived from one of pre-war models that the company produced under its original ownership.
The 57 version of Maybach sedan also boasted an S model. The S was meant to define the car as special. This model offers a V12 engine that gives out more power than the original. Both the 57 and 62 were highly publicized by Daimler with the use of public figures to endorse the brand. From offering personal endorsements to having the vehicle appear in videos, there was an explosion of those that were backing the newly released models of an old brand of luxury vehicle.
Unfortunately the efforts did not work as much as Daimler had hoped. Though the Maybach sedan offered top of line luxury and style with premium power, the sales never took off as expected. After doing a full review into the vehicles and their profitability, Daimler has decided to cancel the entire line of Maybach vehicles. Production will cease and the Maybach brand will no longer exist after 2013. The vehicles had a good run, but simply could not compete with the sales of the brands that were directly up against. Daimler will return their energy to the Mercedes-Benz and has said they plan to release an updated and more luxurious model of that vehicle.