Osnabrueck

Great thread everybody. The Maybach debacle and the branding puzzle it presents is one of my favorite water cooler topics.

Here's the thing Rob, Mercedes already targets the Flying Spur through models like the S600 and the S63. These are cars that are so well appointed, so impeccably crafted that they leave almost nothing to be desired. You could rightly argue that the only thing lacking is the presence of a rarified logo on the hood.

So Mercedes is in a quandry if they want to move "upmarket" with a low-volume, high-profit prestige label - because they already dance that number. What exactly will they move upmarket with since the creme de la creme is already available under the Mercedes badge?

The answer is nothing. By all measures, the S600 renders the Maybach redundent. Sure the Maybach can be ordered with elephant dick leather, but you also have Mercedes Designo satisfying all but the most grotesque of tastes.

At the heart of the matter is this: People who buy super saloons aren't buying superior engineering or superlative dynamics, they're buying a mythical pedigree. Sure, brands like Bentley and Rolls Royce have a rocky past, and have changed hands numerous times, but the brand has remained consistent enough for us to imagine that when we buy a Rolls or a Bentley we're buying a car that's part of noble tradition. We feel that we have a link with the Queen of England and the Prince Charles. We feel like we're part of something pretty goddamn special, because we're part of an ultra-exclusive club that spans back 100 years.

Maybach may have been a name at one time, but up until recently was only known by dead people and car collectors. Now, perhaps this could be partially excused were it not for the fact that the product had so much in common with existing Mercedes vehicles.

McLaren Mercedes is a partnership that makes sense because there's a tangible sense of something different being brought to the table. The SLR is ovbiously like no other Mercedes and is able to follow through on the promise of being significantly different than the rest of the Mercedes range.

Maybach, unfortunately, isn't a real entity. It's just a name and a fasion concept.

The way I see it - Maybach could become a profitable enterprise by becoming a "halo stylist" inside of Mercedes, just like AMG is a "performance stylist."

What Mercedes would do is maintain the Maybach range with a new super-saloon every 7 years or so. Sure, they cars wouldn't sell, but they'd create a halo of credibility around the Maybach name.

We'd soon have cars like the "Maybach S-Klasse" the "Maybach GL" and the "Maybach CL." Such cars would have all sorts of custom BS available to them, giving you an outlandish choice of paints, fabrics and materials at your disposal.

So while the Maybach 57/62 may languish in the shadow of soft sales and lonely showrooms, Mercedes could cash in on the back end by pimping out the name to those who are willing and able to shell out the cash for a different logo on the hood.

The Mercedes CL is already a very expensive car, running into six figures. Since you're already going for the gusto, why not add another $35k to the price and have something really exclusive.

Ok ok - I realize that the scenario that I just outlined above is retarded, but it could also make money. I don't know if that's worth diluting the Mercedes name with an in-house "bling tuner" but like... whatever. I'm almost sorry I wrote all this...

Unless Mercedes can somehow pull equity out of the Maybach name it has little reason to exist. I say give it the axe.