2011 Maybach Facelift Revealed
Press Release
Evolution of an automotive masterpiece - exciting, unique, effortlessly superior
Stuttgart - At Auto China 2010 in Beijing, Maybach will be presenting its high-end luxury sedans with added sparkle and with significantly extended high-class equipment and individualisation options. A large new chrome radiator grille confidently emphasises the legendary sedans' exceptional status. Other new highlights include the hood with a shaped edge, the trim on the front bumper with daytime driving lights featuring LED technology, high-quality, dark red tail lights and a new, exclusively developed paint and stylish wheels. In future those purchasing a Maybach 57 and 57 S will also be able to opt for the rear reclining seat from the Maybach 62 models. New items are available on request, among them seat piping which is hand-braided or refined with CRYSTALLIZEDTM Swarovski Elements, an exquisite flacon perfume atomiser and a WLAN router for wireless internet access. As an option, a 19-inch cinema screen and an overview camera for the rear passengers can be installed in the rear of the Maybach 62 and 62 S models. The output of the twelve-cylinder engine in the Maybach 57 S and 62 S has been increased to 463 kW (630 hp) but the pollutant emissions of all models have still been cut.
The facelifted versions of the Maybach sedans are even more self-confident and effortlessly superior, their charisma even more striking. The exceptional status they enjoy finds its main emphasis in the new dominant chrome radiator grille, which is meticulously produced in two different variants. In the Maybach 57 and 62 models it has 20 fine longitudinal bars, and in the Maybach 57 S and 62 S twelve solid double louvres and a "shadow strut" flag up the vehicle's tremendous power. Both arrow-shaped radiator grilles are also higher and boast significantly greater dimensions than before, and they have been assigned a more upright position.
The designers have elevated the modified hood and given it sharply defined contours. It has a contoured edge and appears distinctly arrow-shaped. A restyled, horizontally structured bumper trim gives the Maybach sedans an even broader look. Daytime driving lights featuring LED technology and bordered with a chrome insert have been integrated into the outer air intakes.
The new exterior mirrors with optimised aerodynamics for less driving noise harmonise with the striking front, whilst their large surface means improved vision. Dark red tail lights and chrome trim used on the handle in the boot lid lend the end section a powerful, distinguished look. This in turn is underlined by new high-sheen 21-spoke 19-inch wheels in titanium silver for the Maybach 57 and 62 models. The Maybach 57 S and 62 S models will in future be shod as standard with new 12-spoke 20-inch wheels in noble sterling silver. All models are available in the new Bahamas Blue paint.
Interior - superb craftsmanship
The rear reclining seat which has only been available in the Maybach sedans with a long wheelbase up until now can, with immediate effect, also be installed on the front-passenger side in the rear of the Maybach 57 and 57 S models. At the same time Maybach has enhanced the craftsmanship of the seats for all models. The look of the seat upholstery layout has been refined and given additional piping. On request the piping can also be hand-braided or adorned with valuable CRYSTALLIZEDTM Swarovski Elements. In the upper part of the seat backrest a redesigned badge in 925 sterling silver with "MAYBACH MANUFAKTUR" lettering is an impressive indication of the great love of detail and serves as a reminder of the prestigious environment in which one is travelling.
Maybach cuts an equally fine figure when it comes to the range of individualisation options available for the luxury sedans, which has been significantly extended. For the very first time there is an extremely high-quality flacon perfume atomiser available on request, having been developed exclusively by Maybach. Up until now it was reserved only for the special Maybach Zeppelin model, limited to just 100 units. As an option a large, high-resolution cinema screen with a 19-inch diagonal can now be fitted to the centre of the partition in the Maybach 62 models, as an alternative to the 9.5-inch monitors in the rear available until now. If required Maybach will also fit the vehicles which have a partition - which, incidentally, can now also be personalised with motifs of the customer's choosing - with an overview camera, via which the rear passengers are able to keep an eye on the traffic in front of them without being seen themselves - even with an opaque partition window.
Thanks to an innovative WLAN router it is even possible to enjoy wireless internet access during the journey. This state-of-the-art connection uses the fast transmission standards HSDPA, UMTS and GSM/EDGE. A new mobile phone hands-free system with Bluetooth functionality is also available in the rear. And a newly developed DVD player in the rear now also reads extended DVD formats.
As one would expect, the Maybach MANUFAKTUR showcases masterly handcraftsmanship with no compromises in the interior, where materials of the highest quality abound. There are three new interior appointments with different leather, carpet and headlining colours. New trim in selected dark brown bird's-eye maple, which can be combined with brilliant porcelain piano lacquer in the Maybach 57 S and 62 S, underline the regal ambience. As an alternative, customers can now choose from carbon-fibre trim elements with a sporty touch in various different colours, such as silver and red.
More powerful yet fewer emissions
Even though the Maybach developers have increased the output of the Maybach 57 S and 62 S by 13 kW (18 hp) to 463 kW (630 hp), they were able to reduce the consumption figures (from 16.4 to 15.8 l/100 km) and the CO2 output (from 390 to 368 g/km CO2). The output of the 57 and 62 models remained unchanged, whilst consumption (15.0 as opposed to 15.9 l/100 km) and CO2 output (350 as opposed to 383 g/km) was also cut here. All the Maybach twelve-cylinder engines meet the EU5 standard/LEV2.
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Daimler Denies Maybach Brand Shut Down - No Sale to BYD
German automaker Daimler is denying reports from Chinese media that it plans to sell off its luxury brand Maybach.
The Chinese newspaper Guangzhou Daily was reporting that China's BYD Co. Ltd. was considering making a bid for the Maybach brand. BYD is a Chinese car and battery manufacturer 10 percent owned by billionaire Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway investment group.
But Daimler has denied the claim.
"Maybach is an important part of Daimler's product portfolio. There is no other decision," said a Daimler spokesman in the Reuters story.
It's a vague denial and one that sounds defensive. We've previously reported that Daimler executives have plans to shut down Maybach after its disappointing sales performance since the brand's re-introduction back in 2002. Maybach sold only 200 units in 2009 - a very small volume compared to the brand's ultra-luxury competitors such as VW Group's Bentley and BMW Group's Rolls Royce. And Mercedes may be worried that the brand will only cannibalize sales of its exclusive S-Class, set for a next-generation release in 2014.
One thing for sure is that Maybach's plans for the near future include only a minor facelift (See above) - with no big changes, such as new engines, announced.
- it has to be all the same colour though, none of this 2-toned panels.
