Maybach cars

Mercedes-Benz and Maybach join the Sex and the City 2 cast

Women and men everywhere love the sexual rendezvous’ and spicy chicas involved in Sex and the City even if the men are afraid to admit it. If anyone doesn’t know who Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda are then they may as well admit they have been locked away in a dark room somewhere. Now, men all over will have an excuse to tag along and see the sexy ladies and hot scenes in Sex and the City 2 because the ultra-luxurious Maybach line, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV, the 2011 Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet, and the Mercedes S-Class will all be a part of the cast as the automobiles of choice for none other than Mr. Big and the ladies.

"Based on the success of the first movie and its ability to attract trendsetters and style-makers, Sex and the City 2 is a natural fit for Mercedes-Benz," says Steve Cannon, Vice President of Marketing, Mercedes-Benz USA. "The movie provides a great stage for us; it showcases our new eco-friendly flagship S-Class, ruggedly sophisticated G-Class and ultra luxury Maybach line in their natural elements. It also perfectly positions the new E-Class Convertible just as it arrives in showrooms."

Simple translation: “Sex and the City brings in lots of money and we want a piece of the action.” Oh yeah, we said it. Of course, in case moviegoers don’t notice the vehicles in the film, Mercedes will be including the partnership in a marketing campaign for the 2011 Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet illustrating the relationship between the two. The tagline? "Stylish Enough for Carrie, Luxurious enough for Charlotte, Smart enough for Miranda and fast enough for Samantha."

Hey, we’re not saying there is anything wrong with that. Maybach and Mercedes were smart to get in on the steamy action. We’ll just wait and see if it works.

Anyone want a Maybach Coupe?

Maybach doesn’t exactly scream the word coupe. In fact, they barely even whisper it. The only coupe ever designed and produced by Maybach was the Exelero back in 2005 and that production ceased after one unit. The coupe was commissioned by Fulda Tyres to test a new generation of wider tires and then it just ceased to exist. And although the Exelero died even before it moved on to see the world, Group Xenatec has decided that the coupe would no longer be dead in the water. In fact, starting in July, Group Xenatec will roll out the first Maybach coupe to their customers. Now, who is Group Xenatec? That is a very good question. Group Xenatec is a group who specializes in developing special vehicles, be it only one vehicle or a small series of a special vehicle. They handle sedans, sports cars, and heavy trucks. Their next "project" will be a Maybach Coupe.

The Maybach Coupe will be developed in close cooperation with Daimler and will be limited to only 100 units. The design will be based off the Maybach 57S, but, obviously with some modifications. The coupe models will feature modified A-, B-and C-pillars, doors and front fenders and rear sections. The cars will sit on 20" alloy wheels with new design (21" will come as an option). The coupe will obviously be a two door model, but it will be able to seat 4.

Under the hood there will be a 612 hp and 1,000 Nm strong six-liter twin turbo V12 engine as found in the Maybach 57S. The sprint from 0 to 62 mph will be made in 5 seconds and top speed will go up to 170 mph.

The Maybach Coupe will be priced at around € 650,000 and will be destined to customers in Middle and Far East, the USA, and Russia.

2011 Maybach 57 and 62 Facelift

Daimler unveiled today the facelift version for the Maybach line-up. The company made chances to the exterior design, interior comfort, but also added a more powerful engine. This is the last chance Daimler offered to Maybach before making a final decision on its future.

The exterior chances include a new chrome radiator grille, a new front bumper and redesigned hood, re-styled side mirrors and new rear light clusters and new new-look 21-spoke, 19-inch wheels for the standard models and get 12-spoke, 20-inch wheels for the S ones. Also the 57S and 62S models are 11 mm longer and 17 mm wider.

On the interior the limousine gets a hand-braided or crystal-encrusted seat piping, a 19-inch rear screen, a perfume atomiser and a wireless internet function.

The 57S and 62S models are powered by a 12-cylinder engine that develops a total of 630 HP. The 57 and 62 models get a 6.0 liter V12 supercharged and turbocharged engine that develops 542bhp. Fuel consumptions and CO2 emissions have been lowered in both models.

Video after the jump.

Contrary to reports, P. Diddy did not buy his 16-year old son a Maybach Exelero

Reports have been filing in today regarding news that P.Diddy’s son, who recently celebrated his 16th birthday, was given a rather expensive gift – even for celebrity standards - by dear old Daddy-O to the tune of a $360,000 Maybach Exelero. Now, if you’re a car aficionado, you’re going to immediately raise a few red flags upon reading this report.

Red Flag no. 1: There’s only one Maybach Exelero in the world and it’s highly unlikely that Diddy gave it to his son as a birthday present.

Red Flag no. 2: The Maybach Exelero does not cost $360,000. Actually that price tag is just a shade under 5% of what an Exelero actually costs, which, if you don’t know, is around $8 million.

The report does say that the car Diddy got for his son, Justin, costs around $360,000 so we’re going to venture a guess that it might have been something along the likes of either a Maybach 57 or a Maybach 62.

But an Exelero? We sincerely doubt that Diddy even considered for one iota to get his 16-year old son a car that comes with a price tag of around four Bugatti Veyrons.

Maybach model will receive a facelift in 2010

The Maybach nameplate has been around for a century, however ever since the brands rebirth under Mercedes Benz over a decade ago, their lineup of ultra exclusive luxury limousines have remained very much the same, with the exception of one over the top twin turbocharged V12 powered sports coupe, the Exelero concept. It doesn’t hurt that Maybach is the top dog as far as million dollar transportation is concerned, and the apparent lack of competition hasn’t pushed them to constantly update their vehicles.

Reaffirming that fact Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche announced at a conference in Abu Dhabi that the German automaker is still thinking about the posh luxury brand. According to Dr. Z, "the contribution of Maybach is not significant or relevant but there are only two players in this market and we are one of them. But there are no plans in the long run." What we do know is that in the short term Maybach owners will be greeted by some new faces and that as part of their product sharing strategy, both the 57 and 62 will receive numerous assistance and infotainment systems from the current Mercedes Benz S-Class. However Mercedes has not yet decided whether or not they will go as far as next generation versions for the two models.

Maybach to host photo exhibit at Miami Beach’s Art Basel

If you’re in the Miami area in the coming weeks, you might want to look out for a few exhibits hosted by Maybach and artist David LaChapelle – not to be mistaken for comedian David Chapelle – at the Art Basel in Miami Beach.

The photo exhibits, which are being called “Exposure of Luxury” and “Berlin Stories”, are what can be considered as “for the viewing pleasure of adults, and adults only”, judging from one of the photos that was released, which apparently looks like a group orgy from back in the day with cameo appearances of an old-school Zeppelin DS8 and a 2010 Zeppelin..

Given that Maybach is a luxury brand under Mercedes-Benz, a company known for its class and elegance, we feel the need to question the decision to go for an exhibit that’s pretty dark and mysterious for its standards. But hey, we’re not the ones who made it so it’s probably a good idea to let someone from the inside explain the rationale behind the exhibits.

Continued with press release after the jump.

Maybach releases new Zeppelin photos

News of Maybach’s apparent demise may end up being premature after Mercedes’ luxury car brand recently released new photos of its flagship luxury sedan, the 2010 Zeppelin.

The all-new Zeppelin comes with a 6.0-liter V12 bi-turbo engine that produces 640 hp and over 1,000 Nm of torque. As far as the interior is concerned, the new Zeppelin comes with a number of subtle upgrades over most standard Maybachs, including chrome-finished 20” wheels, a special-edition two-tone paint finish, dark red tail lights, the ‘Zeppelin’ lettering embossed on the grille emblem, and streamlined exterior mirrors.

The new Zeppelin, which comes in two models – the 57 and the 62 – will b extremely limited, with only 100 units set for production. The 57 Zeppelin – the shorter of the two – will come with a price tag of €406,000 while the longer 62 Zeppelin will sell for €473,200.

We still don’t know the long term future of Mercedes’ luxury brand, but this does come as encouraging news for fans of the Maybach, especially when it was only a few months ago where the Maybach was this close to meeting its maker.

Maybach could end up on the chopping block

If you have a Maybach parked in your garage, you may want to take extra care of it, especially now that Mercedes bigwig Deiter Zetsche recently admitted that the luxury brand of Mercedes may not be seeing too many sunrises in the foreseeable future.

Speaking to a group of reporters at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Zetsche pointed out that the Maybach may soon end up in the chopping blocks because of a shift in consumer preference in luxury cars resulting from the global financial crisis.

While he stopped short of officially saying that the Maybach was indeed going to be axed, he did say that as a consumer, a Maybach would be far off the list in terms of preferred luxury cars, given that the market has slowly shifted into preferring more modest and discreet luxury vehicles, which is a category we all know the Maybach doesn’t fall in.

In any event, this is still pretty much a rumor, but we do have to admit that it doesn’t bode well for Maybach, especially after all of this was started by one of the company’s bosses.

Maybach 57S by Fab Design - more details

Just like the Project Kahn’s Rolls-Royce from yesterday, sometime people just aren’t satisfied with having one of only a handful of cars made. In this case Fab Design will take one of the around 1000 Maybachs made per year, and for an extra $200,000, will turn it into something that won’t get lost in yacht club parking lot (for better or worse).

Maybach 57s by Fab Design

Some of the most potent and posh cars in the world can be found in areas of great wealth like the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, no amount of money can buy taste. Case in point is the FAB Design Maybach 57 that was spotted outside a hotel in Monaco.

The Maybach 57 as it comes from the factory is not a super car; it is an ultra high class limousine whose main purpose is to escort privileged individuals in comfort and style. FAB Design did not get that memo, so they decided to add lots of air vents and bulging bodywork to upgrade the car’s sporty appearance. Unfortunately they ended up with a very expensive, very tacky and very blue people mover. The only thing that could make this car any worse would be the addition of carbon fiber wing perched on the trunk.