October1
When Mercedes launched the Maybach brand in 2001, it had 71 U.S. dealers and a lofty goal of 600 units a year. Today, only 42 of those remain. The other 29 U.S. dealers have given up their franchises, Mercedes USA CEO Ernst Lieb told Automotive News.
Mercedes sold just 146 Maybachs in 2006, still far from its annual target. Lieb told the trade publication at the Frankfurt auto show his company negotiated with dealers on a case by case basis for terms of their buyout. One dealer said he got just 25 cents to the dollar in terms of his original investment.
Dealer Chuck Ghesquiere said his overall sales of seven cars were not enough to justify the studio, demo car, and spare parts.
A Mercedes spokeswoman said the company is now happy with the number of dealers, no immediate plans for further cuts.
Not supprising. I guessed they realized that there isn’t a ton of rich people.
Judging by the latest M-B superluxury cruiser concept car revealed recently, dealers shouldn’t be holding their breath for a next-generation Maybach.
Never liked it…Think I’d rather have a Cadillac Sixteen ( R.I.P )…
why didnt they sell them at the mercedes dealerships?
” so you like this clk 55, well i think we have something over here even more exclusive you might want to see”
peter g, i would chew my leg off for a sixteen,
impulsive want to chew on my sixteen too?
CTS DRIVER, then you’d probably want an automatic gearbox?
i want the Sixteen for the day and the Cien for the night. Oh what a day it would be!
I’m frankly amazed that they had more than 10 dealerships as it was.
And yes, I would think that exclusive ‘benz’ dealerships should carry this as an optional vehicle.
maybach is boring.. it doesnt distinguish itself enough from the S-class.
Mar, you are right. This car was at a level where ~10 dealerships in the US would suffice. Those that can afford the car would travel to the closest dealership to buy one. Local service could be had at any MB dealership with parts shipped as needed.
i can shift with a wooden leg if i had to, i have an old coffee table with a lions foot that might look good.
There were lots of dealerships for such exclusive cars
No surprise here, those things never striked me as something awesome or beautiful, just a bigger, more bland, more expensive S-class
The exterior design of this vehicle just isn’t captivating enough for people to truly flock to. I myself like it, especially the “S” iterations, however for much of the ultra exclusive automobile buying public I can see how a Phantom or Arnage would be a better proposition.
I say sell it at selected Benz dealers.
Ex: Mercedes-Benz/Maybach of Beverly Hills
or
Ex: Mercedes-Benz/Maybach of Greenwich.
or Ex: Mercedes-Benz/Maybach of Marin County
There’s nothing compelling about the design. Besides a Maybach is a car you are driven in. If you bought one to drive, then you mis-understand the nature of the car.
I don’t really understand Maybach- a stretched Mercedes, with some exclusive technology, but not anything really different looking.
What they need is that package as just described, but without the recognition of a lengthened Mercedes, and differentiated styling.
The Maybach Exelero seems like a good starting point for basing other designs, and presenting a company that is “further out there” in terms of design language and performance. But, the thing is that the Maybach Exelero was only predicted to get 0-60 in something like 4.4 seconds, not nearly enough to compete with super cars. And even with 620 hp, the Maybach 57S, the sporty model so to speak of Maybach, get’s 0-60 in just 5.0 seconds. Yes, fast for a three ton car, but if it’s intended to be sporty, I’d consider more modifications to make it evident that it’s meant to be FAST, and meant to be different from it’s other models in terms of performance.
JJT, Maybach was/is sold mostly (if not all) through MB dealerships. They called them Mayback dealerships but they were really a special area of floor space devoted to the car.
The problem was buying a car for the floor & for demo then stocking parts as an authorized dealer/repair facility meant a very large investment in a model that wasnt well marketed by MB to compete with the likes of Bentley or Rolls. It became cheaper to give up the rights to the franchise than continue with an overpriced product that isnt well marketed by the parent company.
If MB restructured so all MB dealerships could repair the cars with shipped parts (instead of having parts on hand) then there is less need for a dealership in every city. All MB would need in the US are a few well chosen MB dealerships to also be Maybach dealerships for sales - as many have suggested.
Sounds to me like 29 dealers got taken for a ride, especially when the spokewoman says “we are NOW happy with the number of dealers.”
Not that I’ll eve shed a tear for any cardealer that gets taken for a ride … the thieving bastards.
yeah, that dot-bomb was so unfortunate…..
Wow—these are not good times for MB. I understand they really took a bath to rid themselves of Chrysler, and now this.
Personally, I always thought the interior was the best part of the Maybach, but the outside was borderline ugly. Not what a person wants for his $350—or whatever those things cost. I think they were going for “stately” in the design, and they missed.
I’ve always wondered if it would be possible to design an updated version of the classics of the ’30’s, without making them look ridiculous. To me, those cars had real presence.
Oops. I guess I should proof read my posts before I post them: that should have read $350K!
And ya think Duesenberg is gonna go anywhere?
The true beauty of this car is that you can get in, climb to the other side of the car, get out, and you’re already at your destination.
I’d love to know who at Maybach approved the designs in the first place. They are boring as hell. If one drove through my neighborhood, I doubt I would even notice. It’s as if they completely ignored every vehicle that sells at that price point, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini…
The same ol’ same ol’ does not pass anymore.
yea, what would you rather have if you have half a million to spend. stretched S600 or rolls?
Our Philly suburbs Maybach dealer is now a Smart store. Sign of the times…
And we thought Fuhrer was the crazy one? 600 cars a year?
Of course the dealers have to shut down, Rolls-Royce is *the* utlra-luxury vehicle to own if you’re extremely rich. There’s no way Maybach could compete against such a powerful brand.
I agree 1c3d0g. There’s not ultra lux vehicle I’d take over a Rolls Royce Phantom or Drop Head Coupe.
lambo: rather than go ultralux, I’d go exotic. A 7-series would be good enough as a daily driver.
___________________Kyle its not about being rich. the Rolls Royce Phantom is a much better car and its no wonder its outsellinf the crappy Maybach
1c3d0g ITS NOT ABOUT THAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ****HEAD the Rolls Royce is a better looking car, has much more class and its uniques the Maybach is just a stretched S class
I don’t see the need to call me a ****head, dickhead.
Anyway, at least we agree Rolls-Royce is the better car of the two.
The S class reached so far upstream, it really made the zero case for the Maybach. All the “S” variants of the Maybach did was update the engines that were already bolted into the S65/CL65/SL65 family.
The only people the Maybach was really marketed too were those absolutely sticking rich folk who wouldn’t miss the 150 large you could have pocketed and bought something else to go along with your optioned-out S65. 71 dealers for 600 cars is WAY too much.
This car was made to be chauffeured in. Unfortunately even the chauffeured set would rather have a less conspicuous S class or 760Li. Those cars fit better in the rather cramped New York garages and dont draw as much attention as the Maybach. If attention is wanted the Rolls is still the chauffeured car of choice.
Ouch
There is no reason to buy this car: The S600 is the same thing, albeit a bit smaller. You’d have to be crazy to pay 2.5x the price for a Maybach.