Hot off the sale of Chrysler, DaimlerChrysler AG reportedly is considering eliminating its Maybach marque. Since the brand's relaunch in 2003, Maybach has only sold 778 cars — woefully short of its target of selling 500 cars a year — leading to the speculation that the brand's future is in doubt. After all, auto enthusiasts muse that the Maybach starting at $335,000 is simply an overpriced Mercedes S-Class, which ranges from $85,000 to $181,000. However, the Maybach is a chafeured car unlike its cousin, so the refinement isn't in how it drives but in the backseat. Interestingly, in the earlier half of the decade when Daimler was considering the relaunch of the Maybach badge, which dates back to the 1920s, it had considered branding it as the Mercedes-Benz Maybach. Now it seems likely that if Maybach isn't axed entirely, it could live on as a Mercedes after all. —Matthew Wurtzel
See post from AutoBlog
See earlier post about Maybach from Dealscape
See Chrysler story from TheDeal.com
See Chrysler Dealwatch
Tags: Maybach, Daimler
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