Rides : Bentley eyeing Maybach’s famous customers

British luxury carmaker Bentley is approaching rival Maybach’s clients, who include Samuel L. Jackson, Jay-Z and King Juan Carlos of Spain, in order to profit from Daimler AG’s move to kill off the ultra-luxury brand.

“The withdrawal of Maybach is a business opportunity for us and we’re going to use it,” Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer told Reuters at the North American International Auto Show this week. Daimler announced in November it planned to end production of Maybachs, priced from $380,000.
One of the world’s strongest wealth symbols, the Maybach brand also counts on Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and the Sultan of Brunei as devoted customers. According to the Bentley boss, the British car manufacturer has already discussed with some Maybach clients and is in the process of writing to others.
“The comments I’m receiving aren’t very positive, they feel left alone,” Duerheimer said about Maybach customers. Bentley and Rolls-Royce are hoping owners of the German brand will choose their top models, the Mulsanne and the Phantom, while Daimler wants to keep Maybach clients by offering pricier variants of the S-Class starting next year.
A Rolls-Royce spokesman said the company would also welcome any Maybach customers “but seeking them out and hunting them down is not the Rolls-Royce way.”

Rides : Mercedes-Benz killing Maybach in 2013, replaced by S600 Pullman

According to an unnamed Mercedes-Benz source speaking with Autoweek, the German automaker is killing off its Maybach line in 2013.

The unsurprising news comes after the brand was resurrected in 2002, but failed to meet sales expectations with its two core models, the Maybach 57 and 62. Further solidifying its fate, a deal for Aston Martin to aid in the development of future Maybachs fell through earlier this year.

According to the Autoweek's insider, the plan is to continue to sell both Maybach models through the end of 2013, after which the fifth-generation S-Class will go on sale. When that happens, three new variants of the S-Class will be available, including an all-new, range-topping S600 that brings back the Pullman moniker and may be better suited to competing with the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Rides : Maybach celebrates Daimler's 125th with special edition 57 S

Daimler may not be able to sell very many Maybachs, but there's a flip-side to that equation: Rarity. Exclusivity. Qualities which a Maybach has in spades. But if every tycoon and magnate in your elite neighborhood already has one, and you want to stand out a bit (but not too much) from the crowd, you're going to want something even more exclusive. Like the Edition 125!

That exclamation mark – like the concept currently on display in Frankfurt – is part of the name, not added emphasis on our part, and helps underscore the claim which Daimler lays on the origins of the automobile which it now celebrates a century and a quarter later.

The party starts off with the 57 S model, that being the (relatively) shorter-wheelbase sedan with the twin-turbo V12 that's just had its output increased to 630 horsepower. That's power that'd make many a supercar blush, but Maybach didn't stop there: for the special edition, the automaker gave the 57 a new front grille, a set of high-contrast 20-inch alloys and the signature of Wilheml Maybach (he who helped Gottlieb Daimler invent the automobile) embroidered into the glovebox lid.

 

Press Release

Maybach – Edition 125! Exquisite appointments and individual styling

In the year of the 125th anniversary of the automobile Maybach is displaying the Edition 125! at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. This unusual one-off piece presents exquisite new possibilities for individually styling the high-end saloons. The highlights include contour lighting and the laser-engraved light motif featuring the double-M in a curved triangle in the front armrest. The wide-ranging new individualisation options perfectly complement the confident air of the legendary Maybach saloons.

Maybach is constantly expanding its portfolio of high-quality equipment and appointments options. In the 125th anniversary year of the automobile the luxury brand is exhibiting a special one-off model, the Edition 125! at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in honour of the ingenious designer Wilhelm Maybach. This high-end luxury saloon displays many familiar and new individualisation options which only Maybach customers can select. Highlights of the saloon painted in the newly created special colours Tahiti Black/ Patagonia Silver are lavish contour lighting and the laser-engraved light motif in the front armrest, which represents the alluring double-M in a curved triangle illuminated from inside. The other new features include a glove compartment lid embroidered with the signature of Wilhelm Maybach, silver-coloured topstitching, trim in silver carbon fibre/black piano lacquer, matt black 20-inch wheels with high-sheen spokes plus a newly styled radiator grille.

All the current Maybach saloons have a confident, superior appearance and are strikingly radiant. The exceptional status enjoyed by the high-end luxury saloons finds its main emphasis in the new dominant chrome radiator grille, which is meticulously produced in two different variants. In the Maybach 57 and 62 models it has 20 fine longitudinal bars, and in the Maybach 57 S and 62 S twelve solid double louvres and a "shadow strut" flag up the vehicle's tremendous power. Both arrow-shaped radiator grilles are also higher and boast significantly greater dimensions than before, and they have been assigned a more upright position.

The designers have elevated the modified bonnet and given it sharply defined contours. It has a contoured edge and appears distinctly arrow-shaped. A restyled, horizontally structured bumper trim gives the Maybach saloons an even broader look. Daytime driving lights featuring LED technology and bordered with a chrome insert have been integrated into the outer air intakes.

The new exterior mirrors with optimised aerodynamics for less driving noise harmonise with the striking front, whilst their large surface means improved vision. Dark red tail lights and chrome trim used on the handle in the boot lid lend the end section a powerful, distinguished look. This in turn is underlined by new high-sheen 21-spoke 19-inch wheels in titanium silver for the Maybach 57 and 62 models. The Maybach 57 S and 62 S models will in future be shod as standard with new 12-spoke 20-inch wheels in noble sterling silver. All models are available in the new Bahamas Blue paint.

Interior – superb craftsmanship

The rear reclining seat which has only been available in the Maybach saloons with a long wheelbase up until now can, with immediate effect, also be installed on the front-passenger side in the rear of the Maybach 57 and 57 S models. At the same time Maybach has enhanced the craftsmanship of the seats for all models. The look of the seat upholstery layout has been refined and given additional piping. On request the piping can also be hand-braided or adorned with valuable SWAROVSKI® ELEMENTS. In the upper part of the seat backrest a redesigned badge in 925 sterling silver with "MAYBACH MANUFAKTUR" lettering is an impressive indication of the great love of detail and serves as a reminder of the prestigious environment in which one is travelling.

Maybach cuts an equally fine figure when it comes to the range of individualisation options available for the luxury saloons, which has been significantly extended. For the very first time there is an extremely high-quality flacon perfume atomiser available on request, having been developed exclusively by Maybach. Up until now it was reserved only for the special Maybach Zeppelin model, limited to just 100 units. As an option a large, high-resolution cinema screen with a 19-inch diagonal can now be fitted to the centre of the partition in the Maybach 62 models, as an alternative to the 9.5‑inch monitors in the rear available until now. If required Maybach will also fit the vehicles which have a partition – which, incidentally, can now also be personalised with motifs of the customer's choosing – with an overview camera, via which the rear passengers are able to keep an eye on the traffic in front of them without being seen themselves – even with an opaque partition window.

Thanks to an innovative WLAN router it is even possible to enjoy wireless internet access during the journey. This state-of-the-art connection uses the fast transmission standards HSDPA, UMTS and GSM/EDGE. A new mobile phone hands-free system with Bluetooth functionality is also available in the rear. And a newly developed DVD player in the rear now also reads extended DVD formats.

As one would expect, the Maybach Manufaktur showcases masterly handcraftsmanship with no compromises in the interior, where materials of the highest quality abound. There are three new interior appointments with different leather, carpet and headlining colours. New trim in selected dark brown bird's-eye maple, which can be combined with brilliant porcelain piano lacquer in the Maybach 57 S and 62 S, underline the regal ambience. As an alternative, customers can now choose from carbon-fibre trim elements with a sporty touch in various different colours, such as silver and red.

More powerful yet fewer emissions

Even though the Maybach developers have increased the output of the Maybach 57 S and 62 S by 13 kW (18 hp) to 463 kW (630 hp), they were able to reduce the consumption figures (from 16.4 to 15.8 l/100 km) and the CO2 output (from 390 to 368 g/km CO2). The output of the 57 and 62 models remained unchanged, whilst consumption (15.0 as opposed to 15.9 l/100 km) and CO2 output (350 as opposed to 383 g/km) was also cut here. All the Maybach twelve-cylinder engines meet the EU5 standard/LEV2.

Rides : Birdman can't pay for his new $8 million Maybach Exelero

What kind of person would order an $8 million Maybach? The same sort who'd take another Maybach and hack it up with a saw and blowtorch. That's right, a hip-hop mega star.

Long before Jay-Z and Kanye West shot the music video for "Otis", Bryan "Birdman" Williams had placed his order for his very own Maybach Exelero. The price tag: a whopping $8 million. Pocket change for a guy worth over $100 million with a Veyron and a Landaulet in the garage. But now he seems to be running into some trouble.

Apparently, Birdman still owes money on his other seven-figure rides, and has yet to fork over the eight mil to the Exelero's current owner Arnaud Massartic. Until he does, it remains the European entrepreneur's property, though Birdman very well might find a way to work it into his next video just the same.

Rides : Daimler may kill Maybach Brand

Germany’s Daimler is reportedly weeks away from deciding the fate of its struggling Maybach brand. The exact date is set for July 1, when Daimler will decide if Maybach will be pulled over, or will partner with Aston Martin for a second generation.

 

‘There is a higher likelihood to come to a positive decision’ for a second-generation Maybach sedan if a partner is involved, Dieter Zetsche told Automotive News Europe on the sidelines of company event last week.

However, Daimler has entered talks with Aston Martin that would see the British carmaker take on production of future Maybach cars at its Gaydon plant in the UK - where it also produces its DB(X), Vantage and Rapide models.

As part of the deal, Aston would reportedly benefit from the use of Daimler engines and platforms for AM future models - possibly signalling an end to its own in-house engine development.
Moreover, Autocar reports that Aston Martin and Maybach are discussing building a concept car together, possibly for the Frankfurt show in September.

The current Maybach went on sale in the U.S. in 2003. Daimler sold just 63 here last year (fewer than 200 worldwide) and is on pace for 45 this year, according to Autodata.

Rides : Birdman drops $8 Million on Maybach Exelero

About a week ago Birdman, who was featured on the cover of our March/April issue, posted a photo of his latest purchase on Twitter. An $8 million dollar Maybach Exelero. The caption read, “8million 0n a whip all red.blievetht.custom made.ymcmb”. via.