Brendan Moore

I think it is profitable from everything I've read, but just barely. If it's just barely profitable, then the question begs itself: "Is it worth the trouble?".

Lots of distraction for little payoff. But, one has to suppose it is worth it still at this point.
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BTW, my first post - I look forward to conversing with all of you at some point. Until then, thanks for your patience until I learn the ropes.

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Hypersonic

Welcome Brendan.

BMW admitted they still have not broken even with the Phantom -- but then, the Phantom is a far more independent project than Maybach.

However, DCX spent vast sums of money promoting the Maybach -- far more money was spent marketing Maybach than BMW could ever have afforded for the Phantom.

Also, despite the old-world image, the Phantom, with its aluminum construction is state-of-the-art and more expensive to build.

Harry Plopper

Regarding RR:

BMW make profit per every single RR car made / sold, yet the initial investments were so high (Phantom development + new factory construction + dealer network + marketing) that the RR business hasn't come out of the red numbers yet. Mind that new RR was built from sketch - not like Maybach: on an old modified MB platform in an existing MB plant.

The plan was Rolls-Royce Motorcars Ltd. to make total profit in 3 years by sales of 1000 units per year. Since the sales have been lower the deadline is extended a bit.

Hypersonic

Yep, and that's the reason I used to get so annoyed with people who said the Phantom was not as high-tech as the Maybach ...because that is absolutely untrue.

The Phantom is technically more advanced than the Maybach -- the way it is built is absolutely up-to-the-minute in the auto industry.

The fact that every Phantom is also built in two countries also adds to the cost.

When these things are taken into consideration, the Phantom makes the Maybach look slightly over-priced -- with Maybach you are technically paying off a very big marketing and promotions bill.

It seems to me the main focus for Maybach was on marketing the prestige of the brand rather than focusing on the car itself.

abunawafff

i used to have one... for a brief time.... i loved it..... mine was red on red...

it was the closest thing to a 4 door countach lambo.... it was good to drive and reliable... to my shock .... i wish i never sold it ..

thats a car i wouldnt mind owning again.....

Hypersonic

Ha, really abunawaff ....that's really cool. Strange car, I've only ever seen about three of them before.

I heard that the build quality of the interior could have been better. Unfortunately for Aston, the Bentley Mulsanne Turbo really messed things up for it as far as sales went.

abunawafff

hi rob

my car wasnt leather on the inside... the quality was perfect..fully digital intraments... maby the older models were worse on the inside..

The Artist

go for the 4door coupe thingy.. i like that concept

and for gods sake dont make that GL ..rather than that.. just kill off the brand

Hypersonic

Thank you abunawafff.

After I typed that comment, I read an article about it and the writer said the interior was very good quality. I am sorry, I was obviously wrong.

It was the first car to feature digital instruments -- how retro that seems now

Hypersonic

Maybach Plans for the Future with New Models
May 5, 2007by Justin Couture / American Auto Press

Maybach, Mercedes-Benz's ultra-luxury division, is in a bit of a sticky situation.When Mercedes-Benz decided to start up a new brand to compete with the world's finest luxury cars (Rolls Royce and Bentley), the brand decided to strike at the heart of limousine territory. Using Mercedes' finest engines and their cutting edge technology, Maybach released the 57 and 62 sedans, which could aptly be described as road-going private jets. Despite the awesome power, the amenities and the ability to customize every single aspect of the car, Maybachs didn't catch on, and as a result have underperformed in terms of sales.

The brand is aware of the source of this problem, and seems prepared to do something about it. A source at Maybach revealed that internally, Maybach realizes that there's no issue with the brand itself, but rather it's the design of the product that it sells. A couple of years ago they built a one-off, boldly styled super coupe concept called the Exelero in collaboration withGerman tire-maker Fulda. It might've been a one-off test-bed that ended up as a show car, but the Exelero created more of a stir for Maybach than its existing 57/62 ever did.

Does this mean that there's an Exelero in the future? Not quite, but Maybach has some plans that will expand the brand and hopefully increase its sales. Currently, there are three different types of vehicles that have spurred interest amongst highly favored exotic brands. They are the four-door coupe, initiated by Mercedes' CLS, the limousine convertible, recently shown as the Ocean Drive concept with a three-pointed star on the grille, and the evergreen sport utility vehicle - M-B has plenty of those. Maybach is considering all three for production.

The four-door coupe is the prime candidate for consideration, as it's everything that Maybach feels it needs to succeed. Besides the fact that every automaker from Audi to Volkswagen is interested in producing one of these, Maybach executives know that there's big money flowing from this genre judging by the number of recent entrants intothis segment, such as the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide. This supposed car would be the Maybach equivalent to the Mercedes-Benz CLS, but it would have the underpinnings of an S-Class rather than an E-Class, and power from the AMG-series twin-turbocharged V12. Besides sporting a new and aggressive look, it would most certainly feature the hallmark tinted glass roof.

Because it'll take some time for Maybach to develop its own sport sedan, the brand is looking at a short term solution, a sport utility vehicle. Currently, the Land Rover Range Rover represents the top of the food chain in sport utility vehicles, but that could change if Maybach decides to enter the market. Its product would almost certainly be based on the GL-Class, Mercedes' largest off-roader, but with a much greater emphasis on luxury and power. The final vehicle, and the least likely to be produced is a soft-top four-door convertible, which harks back to the days of the parade car. It's a longish shot, but not out of the question since Mercedes-Benz will be producing a four-door S-Class convertible of its own, based on the aforementioned Ocean Drive concept.

Maybach will have to be careful to distinguish its new models from their Mercedes-Benz equivalents more than it did the 57/62 sedans. After all, its competitors have done a much better job cloaking any components shared with lesser brands, not to mention the many similarities between the 57/62 and current S-Class when it comes to the overall design.

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