After years of intense struggling, the ultra-exclusive Maybach luxury brand which belongs to Daimler AG concern has almost got to an end. With just 146 units sold last year and apparently no plan to replace the aging Maybach, the luxury division of Mercedes is dying slowly. Listening to Dieter Zetsche, Daimler’s affable CEO looks like neither the new variant, the Landaulet will not budge the needle on sales.

Although the Maybach has proven that it can compete with cars like Rolls Royce, Maybach did not have the desired success. According to Zetsche, Daimler has not decided yet but a decision will certainly be taken: the brand will be saved or...let once again sink into obscurity?

Maybach was founded in 1921 by Karl Maybach who began production of luxurious and technically perfect motor cars at Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. His flagship was the powerful twelve-cylinder model, the Maybach Zeppelin DS 8, the biggest German luxury car of the 1930s. Maybach body shells were manufactured by renowned German specialists, based on individual customer requirements. Hence, every Maybach was a unique creation, reflecting the individual style of its owner; no two cars were alike.