Considered the first modern car, the 1901 Mercedes was a tremendous leap ahead of “horseless carriages” of the day. Wilhelm’s son Karl was also an engineering mastermind who developed and put the Maybach name on 1,800 of the finest custom-built luxury cars in the world from 1921 to 1941.
Commissioning a New Maybach.
When it was re-launched in 2003, the Maybach brand marked the return of the true commissioned car, a vehicle built precisely to a customer’s specifications. Customers commission a new Maybach at one of 70 Mercedes-Benz dealers that have elected to sell and service the vehicles in the U.S. In a special commissioning studio, the dealership’s Maybach Relationship Manager (MRM) helps the customer design a Maybach using an interactive computer simulator with a 50-inch plasma screen, along with samples of select Maybach wood, leather and paint finishes. It takes approximately four months to construct and deliver a Maybach, and this deliberate production pace allows Maybach to accommodate individual customer choices, such as special interior fittings and trim as well as extensive handcrafting.
Private Jet for the Road.
The Maybach was designed to drive like a private luxury jet for the road. Innovations adapted from sister brand Mercedes-Benz help to ensure that braking, handling and safety match such performance.
The Ultimate Luxury Benchmark.
The private jet analogy also applies to the Maybach interior, where a multifunction center console between the rear seats houses a standard-equipment DVD player, VHF TV tuner, six-disc CD changer, telephone system, a refrigerator, and even a sophisticated system that holds a champagne bottle and two flutes securely in place.
Specialist suppliers trim to size more than 200 leather sections for every Maybach and sew them together into 62 larger pieces – all by hand. 100 fine wood trim sections tastefully embellish most of the surfaces in the doors, center consoles and even the cabin ceiling. All are carefully handcrafted and individually selected by experienced specialists to ensure matching grain and shade.
New Luxury Innovations.
All four doors of the Maybach feature an infinitely adjustable hydraulic retainer system that helps prevent the doors from knocking against obstructions in tight parking places. A standard power-closing feature pulls the door closed from the first detent position. Standard on the Maybach 62 (optional for the Maybach 57 and 57 S) is a full power door-pull feature that pulls the doors closed from fully open.
Ambient interior lighting creates a pleasant, diffused lighting effect that remains switched on even when the car is moving, providing a more intimate and relaxing atmosphere for passengers.
An optionally available electro-transparent rear roof section for the Maybach 62 is lined with an electro-luminescent membrane that, when switched on, emits a pleasant, diffused light. Rear passengers can control the panel’s lighting intensity.
Better Than First-Class Seating.
Rear seats in the Maybach 57 and 57 S include power adjustments for seatback and cushion angle, plus head restraint height and angle. In the Maybach 62, individual rear seat recliners provide full body support even for a tall passenger. Pressing the “Pulse” button provides an air-driven gentle back massage. Folding tables, standard on the Maybach 62 and optionally available for the Maybach 57, are made from machined aluminum with a two-part surface veneered in fine wood and with undersides covered in Nappa leather.
For the Maybach 62, an optional glass partition between the front and rear operates at the touch of a button, and for added privacy, a curtain can be drawn across it. When so equipped, the Maybach 62 also includes an intercom to allow the rear passengers and chauffeur to communicate. A classic touch in the rear compartment of both Maybach models is a binnacle between the B-pillars that houses an auxiliary speedometer, outside temperature gauge and clock.
The Maybach Brand.
In less than two years, the re-invented Maybach brand can boast well over 400 cars on U.S. roads – an impressive launch for an entirely new brand that competes with yachts, private planes and vacation homes as much as it does with other super-luxury cars. Maybachs are sold and serviced exclusively by 70 Mercedes-Benz dealerships that have elected to offer the brand. The standard four-year/unlimited mileage warranty includes a maintenance plan, subscription to Tele Aid services and pickup/delivery for service work.
The Maybach 57 has a suggested retail price of $327,750, and the new 57 S is expected to be priced around $360,000 when production begins early in 2006. The long-wheelbase Maybach 62 retails for $377,750. All prices include a $2,750 destination fee that covers shipment from Germany in a special container as well as transport from the port to the Maybach studio in an enclosed truck.
100 years on – why Mercedes-Maybach is the pinnacle of luxury and creative empowerment.
“To present the best of the best”: that was the ambition voiced by Karl Maybach and his father Wilhelm when they debuted the Maybach 22/70 HP W 3 a century ago – planting the seed for Mercedes-Maybach to become one of the most unique and exclusive automotive brands today.
The philosophy expressed at Berlin’s motor exhibition that day has remained at the core of the brand ever since. Over the decades, as royalty, world leaders, movie stars and sports champions have travelled in Mercedes-Maybach vehicles, the double M emblem has come to signify the pinnacle of technical innovation and sophisticated luxury. It is a seal of passion and creative empowerment. Maybach’s words today represent not just the “best” products but the “best” in society.
From the moment the W 3 – Maybach Motorenbau GmbH’s first serial production model – was unveiled in September 1921, a legend had been born. From the four-wheel brakes (the first German car to have such a function) and planetary gearbox complete with six-cylinder engine (enabling all speeds to be managed with a single gear) to the sumptuous wood and leather interiors, the design was boundary breaking. The car – resembling a work of art on wheels – delighted the public. However, steadfast longevity requires constant evolution.
Daimler acquired Maybach Motorenbau GmbH in 1961 and, in 2002, ushered in a new era with the Maybach 62. Coinciding with its centenary, Mercedes-Maybach has unveiled two new models: the S-Class, which represents automotive luxury now more than ever thanks to numerous digital innovations and its technical finesse, and the GLS SUV – setting the highest standards of modernization in the SUV division. Nothing is left unconsidered in the design of each vehicle, and Mercedes-Maybach is deep in the process of cultivating their next remarkable and unique experience with its first fully electric vehicle – details of which will be revealed in the coming months.
“Mercedes-Maybach is the pinnacle of automotive excellence at Mercedes-Benz” says Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes Benz AG responsible for Marketing and Sales. “As we celebrate 100 years of Maybach’s unique heritage at the forefront of luxury experience, we remain passionate about driving the brand forward to set the highest standards in style, comfort and outstanding craftsmanship. Maybach customers are looking for something special and our aspiration is to surpass those expectations. By combining our exclusive customer care programme, with the perfection and state-of-the-art technology of Mercedes-Benz and the exclusivity of Maybach, we invite our customer to a one-of-a-kind sophisticated luxury experience.”
Luxury though, isn’t always tangible. Mercedes-Maybach is innately creative and continuously engaging in topical cultural conversations that will ultimately drive its creativity forward. The 100-year anniversary of the first Maybach automobile in 2021 will see multiple initiatives that celebrate this spirit come to life.
Mercedes-Maybach is leading from the front as Mercedes-Benz drives forward a new strategic course to build on its successes in the high-end vehicle segment, electric drive and car software.
(text source: Mercedes-Benz)
