Having stuttered along since March last year, Mercedes-owned Maybach is set to be discontinued in 2013. Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche has confirmed to German media that the luxury brand is going to be wound down after years of disappointing sales.
Maybach’s ‘57? and ‘62? saloon models, based on the now obsolete S-Class W220, have now reached the end of their commercial lives and would need more than a simple re-styling to become competitive on the modern market again. With poor demand and paltry sales figures of less than a third of its closest rival Rolls-Royce, it seems the math just doesn’t add up for Mercedes-Benz, which means production will finish in 2013 when the new Mercedes S-Class goes on sale.
However, the German manufacturer won’t leave the ultra luxury sedan market behind as the new S-Class W222 will be made available in three different versions, one of which should end up adopting the historic ‘Pullman’ nameplate. This last model will be the one in charge of carrying the 3-pointed star flag in the most exclusive luxury segment, offering top-notch finishing and comfort to compete against the most garish models from Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
