Maybach facts for kids
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| Subsidiary (GmbH) | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Fate | 1960: bought by Daimler-Benz 2002: standalone brand 2015: Mercedes sub-brand |
| Successor | Mercedes-Maybach |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Founder | Wilhelm Maybach |
| Defunct | 1960 (bought by Daimler-Benz) 2013 (as a standalone brand) |
| Headquarters | Stuttgart, Germany |
| Products | Luxury vehicles |
| Parent | Mercedes-Benz |
Maybach (pronounced MY-baakh) is a German luxury car brand. It is owned by and part of Mercedes-Benz AG. The original company was started in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl Maybach. It was first a part of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH. The company was known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1999.
In 1960, Maybach was bought by Daimler-Benz. The name came back in 2002 as a brand for super luxury cars. These cars shared many parts with Mercedes-Benz cars. Because sales were slow, Maybach stopped being a separate brand by 2013. In 2015, it became a special sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz. As of 2021, Daimler makes very fancy versions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, and the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. These models are sold under the Mercedes-Maybach name.
Contents
How Maybach Started: 1909–1940
Wilhelm Maybach was a top engineer at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG). He left in 1907. On March 23, 1909, he started a new company. It was called Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH, which means "Aircraft Engine Building Company". His son Karl Maybach was the director.
In 1912, they changed the name to Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH. This means "Maybach Engine Construction Company". The company first made diesel and petrol engines for Zeppelin airships. Later, they also made engines for trains. Their Maybach Mb.IVa engine was used in planes and airships during World War I.
The company built its first test car in 1919. Two years later, they showed a production car at the Berlin Motor Show. From 1921 to 1940, Maybach made many beautiful and expensive cars. These cars are now seen as classic vehicles. The company also kept building strong diesel engines for ships and trains.
Maybach had a company in Britain called Maybach Gears Ltd. This company specialized in making gearboxes.
Maybach During World War II: 1940–1945
During the Second World War, Maybach made engines for most of Nazi Germany's tanks and half-track vehicles. This included engines for almost all tanks like the Panzer I, II, III, IV, and V. They also made engines for the Tiger I and II tanks, which used the Maybach HL230 engine. Maybach engines were also in half-tracks like the Sd.Kfz. 251 troop carrier. The engine factory was a target for bombing during the war.
After World War II, the factory did some repair work. But they never started making cars again. About 20 years later, the company changed its name to MTU Friedrichshafen.
Maybach in the 1960s
Daimler-Benz bought the Maybach company in 1960. After this, Maybach mainly made special versions of Mercedes cars. These cars were almost entirely built by hand. However, these cars had the Mercedes badge and serial numbers.
Today, Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG makes commercial Maybach diesel engines. They are sold under the MTU brand name.
Maybach's Return and End: 1997–2013
Daimler showed a fancy concept car at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show. A car based on this idea was later made in two sizes. These were the Maybach 57 and the Maybach 62. The numbers showed the length of the cars in decimeters. In 2005, the 57S model was added. It had a powerful 6.0-liter V12 engine.
To help promote the new Maybach cars, Mercedes-Benz hired people like Maybach family member Ulrich Schmid-Maybach. They also had golfer Nick Faldo as a spokesperson.
At first, Daimler-Chrysler thought they would sell 2,000 Maybachs each year worldwide. They expected half of these sales to be in the United States. However, these sales goals were never met. By 2010, only 157 Maybachs were sold globally. In comparison, over 2,700 Rolls-Royces were sold that year. By the time Maybach stopped being a separate brand, about 3,000 cars had been sold since 2002.
In November 2011, Daimler announced that Maybach would stop being a brand by 2013. The very last Maybach car was made in December 2012. This decision was made because of the low sales.
Why Maybach Stopped Being a Separate Brand
Sales were poor, and the financial crisis of 2007–2008 hit hard. Daimler AG looked closely at the Maybach division. They even talked to Aston Martin about designing new Maybach models. An article in Automotive News said that only 44 Maybachs were sold in the US in the first ten months of 2011.
Some people said that Mercedes had missed a chance to buy Rolls-Royce and Bentley in the 1990s. An article in Fortune magazine said that Mercedes tried to get into the super-luxury car business in a "clumsy way." It also said that the first Maybach models did not drive as well as Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars.
The article explained that Mercedes used an older S-Class car frame for the Maybach. They just made it much longer. Other companies like BMW (with Rolls-Royce) built new cars from scratch. Or they cleverly used parts from existing models for new luxury cars, like Volkswagen did with Bentley.
Also, Maybachs were never advertised as cars that owners would drive themselves. The company thought the fancy features would be enough to sell them. They even asked car journalists to ride in the back seat when testing the cars.
Another reason for Maybach's problems was that Daimler did not make it different enough from its Mercedes-Benz brand. Maybachs were built on the same production line as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan. Rolls-Royce and Bentley, however, are put together in England. This makes them seem more "exclusive." Also, most people outside of Germany did not know much about Maybach's history. Rolls-Royce and Bentley, on the other hand, have been famous worldwide for a long time.
In November 2011, Daimler's CEO Dieter Zetsche said the Maybach brand would end in 2012. This would make room for more models of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Maybach limousines were sold until 2013. On December 17, 2012, the last Maybach car was made.
Maybach Today: 2015–Present
The Brand Comes Back
The company said that the Maybach line would be replaced. It would be part of the next Model W222. This included the very long S-Class Pullman. An executive told a newspaper that Daimler felt the Mercedes brand had better chances for sales than Maybach.
Mercedes-Maybach Cars
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In November 2014, Daimler announced that the Maybach name would return. It would be a special sub-brand of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222). It would be a super fancy version, like the sporty Mercedes-AMG sub-brand. The main model, the Mercedes-Maybach S600, was shown at car shows in Los Angeles and Guangzhou. The production model was shown at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
These cars are built on the same line as the S-Class. They are made to compete with cars like the Bentley Mulsanne and Rolls-Royce Phantom. The Mercedes-Maybach is about 5.45 meters long. This is about 20 centimeters longer than the long-wheelbase S-Class models.
The Mercedes-Maybach cars are available as S500 (or S550 in the US) and S600 models. They can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds. The basic car has many color choices. You can also choose between a three-seat back bench or two reclining seats. Extra options include:
- Seats that are air-conditioned, heated, and massage you.
- Heated armrests.
- A system that pumps scented, fresh air around the cabin.
- A powerful 1540-watt Burmester sound system with 24 speakers.
Assembly of the Maybach S500 began in Pune, India, in September 2015. This made India the second country to produce a Maybach.
Concept Cars
The first Mercedes-Maybach concept car was the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6. This was a large, two-door coupe. It had a fully electric engine. It was shown at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Maybach Car Models
Cars Before World War II
- 1919 Maybach W1: A test car.
- 1921 Maybach W3: The first Maybach car, shown at the Berlin Motor Show. It had a 5.7-liter, 70-horsepower engine.
- 1926 Maybach W5: A 7-liter, 120-horsepower engine.
- 1929 Maybach 12: A V12 engine.
- 1930 Maybach DSH: Made from 1930 to 1937.
- 1930 Maybach DS7 Zeppelin: A 7-liter V12 engine with 150 horsepower.
- 1931 Maybach W6: Had the same engine as the W5 but a longer body. Made from 1931 to 1933.
- 1931 Maybach DS8 Zeppelin: An 8-liter V12 engine with 200 horsepower.
- 1934 Maybach W6 DSG: Featured a special transmission system.
- 1935 Maybach SW35: A 3.5-liter, 140-horsepower engine.
- 1936 Maybach SW38: A 3.8-liter, 140-horsepower engine.
- 1939 Maybach SW42: A 4.2-liter, 140-horsepower engine.
- 1945 Maybach JW61: A 3.8-liter, 145-horsepower engine.
About 1,800 Maybach cars were built before World War II.
Engines Made by Maybach
- Maybach HL120
- Maybach HL116
- Maybach HL210
- Maybach HL230
Cars After Maybach's Revival
- 2002 Maybach 57 and 62
- 2005 Maybach Exelero (a special concept car)
- 2005 Maybach 57S (the S means "Special")
- 2006 Maybach 62S
- 2007 Maybach 62 Landaulet
- 2009 Maybach 57 and 62 "Zeppelin"
- 2011 Maybach Guard
- 2014 Mercedes-Maybach S600
- 2014 Mercedes-Maybach S400 (only for China)
- 2015 Mercedes-Maybach S500/S550 (US)
- 2015 Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman
- 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet
- 2017 Mercedes-Maybach S560
- 2017 Mercedes-Maybach S650
- 2017 Mercedes-Maybach S680 (called S650 in China)
- 2017 Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet
- 2019 Mercedes-Maybach GLS600
- 2021 Mercedes-Maybach S480 (only for China)
- 2021 Mercedes-Maybach S580
- 2021 Mercedes-Maybach S680
- 2023 Mercedes-Maybach EQS680 SUV
- 2023 Mercedes Maybach "Project Maybach" – This was a special project with designer Virgil Abloh. They created two unique Maybach vehicles. One was a huge, solar-powered luxury car for off-roading. The other was a redesigned S680. The S680 was available to buy in April 2023.
Maybach Car Sales
Maybach car sales in the US:
- 2003: 166 cars
- 2004: 244 cars
- 2005: 152 cars
- 2006: 146 cars
- 2007: 156 cars
- 2008: 119 cars
- 2009: 66 cars
- 2010: 63 cars
In November 2020, Daimler said it wanted to sell twice as many Maybachs. This was because of strong demand for the cars in China, where they are used as luxury limousines.
See also
- List of German cars
- Maybach Foundation
- Maybach I and II, two World War II bunker complexes named after the engines
- Museum for Historical Maybach Vehicles
