What Maybach plans for the future? To take on Rolls-Royce for the title of Best—or at least Most Expensive—Car in the World, and sell about 1000 examples a year to the superrich.

"Although it took a while to sink in, everyone involved knows now that it’s not the brand that’s at fault," claims one Maybach source. "It’s the current product in general and the design in particular. The Exelero show car did more for us than all the tweaks to the 57/62 series combined. Recently, we presented our management a couple of promising concepts, among them a four-seat luxury coupe. But at the moment, most of our work is undercover. You just can’t fire a bunch of people at Chrysler and simultaneously spend millions on a new Maybach."

Maybach will build theier first luxury SUV, a Maybach GL, and they expect this SUV to be the first real moneymaker. The plan is to give it a Maybach grille, new bumpers, a revised rear end, more brightwork, and wider wheels. The cabin would be upgraded with top-grade leather and wood and rear lounge seats like those in the 57/62. Some 1500 vehicles would be sold, but only outside of Europe.

Also Maybach intents to bring on the market a new mid-size model priced in the $225,000-to-$275,000 bracket. The model will be based on the S-class. The design is brand-new, and it’s said to be much more convincing than Maybach’s first effort. Unusual elements include unique exterior lighting that emits a soft glow accentuating certain body contours, a variable-tint glass roof, and a gauge cluster whose display changes based on driving conditions. For propulsion, engineers favor the 5.5-liter turbo V-12, which can make up to 600 hp and more than 700 lb-ft of torque.