Maybach's sustainability as a brand is much in doubt. Last year they sold only 146 units worldwide, which is only 10% of what was expected. This is especially grim news when you consider the record amount of Rolls-Royces being sold. Besides the ultra-limited-edition Landaulet, there are no other new models scheduled for introduction.

While this news is not a surprise to readers of Straightline, I for one would be sad to see Maybach disappear, as I think there's always a need for these über land yachts; if for no reason other than to push the limits of wretched excess. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has said that a decision about Maybach's future has not been made but that it will come in the next two years.

Full story here and here.

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

Or so the saying goes; Maybach, an automaker arguably on the ropes, is pulling out all the stops as they've given a production okay for the Landaulet. A concept study was recently shown at the Detroit auto show.

So will this save the brand? ...And can we expect a counter-punch from Rolls-Royce? Surely the Queen of England won't want to be upstaged by this wannabe poseur, and will request a Landaulet version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB, no?

Full story here.

Here's Inside Line's take: Maybach Adds Ultra-Majestic Landaulet, Priced at $1.35 Million

Despite having an official presence in Australia, not one Aussie opted for this luxury road yacht. That's right, not one new Maybach was sold in Australia during 2007. Amazing—and especially amazing considering Rolls-Royce has a long backlog of orders with their competing Phantom, with 17 sold in Australia last year. No, not a huge number but considering the MSRP and the population of Oz, not bad I'd say. And, hey... that's still a bunch more than Maybach sold!

Full story here.

There have been rumors of a possible Maybach Landaulet for some time, and now some images and info have made their way up to the Net. The "design study" (uh... "concept") is reportedly going to be shown at the upcoming Dubai Motor Show. It's based on the long-wheelbase Maybach 62.

So, does anyone think this might be enough to bolster Maybach sales? Hey—they claim to have already gotten 20 confirmed orders!

If green-lighted, maybe Edmunds should do a comparison test between this and the Rolls Phantom Drophead Coupe? Better still, why not get one as a long-term tester?

Full story here and here.

Here's Inside Line's take: Maybach 62 S Gets Dose of Sex Appeal With Opulent Landaulet Study

Talk about supreme irony: Maybach can't give their cars away (Is Maybach on the way out? and Maybach not doing as well as hoped), and Rolls-Royce is struggling to meet demand for their Phantoms. Whodathunkit?

Latest figures from the Roller dudes show that quarterly sales are 22% ahead of 2006 sales, and the new Phantom Drophead Coupe is backlogged until the end of 2008. The sedan is sold out until at least the second quarter of next year.

Full story here at Motor Authority.

Word is out that Maybach is cutting 29 US dealers from their total of 71. There have been rumors for some time that Mercedes-Benz would be doing something drastic with the Maybach brand, as sales are nowhere near where they had hoped they would be. Many feel that the Maybach is nothing more than an über-Mercedes, but with an über-über price tag.

So is this the beginning of the end for Maybach? Will Mercedes eventually pull the plug on this brand?

Full story here.

The Maybach brand is not preforming up to Mercedes-Benz sales expectations. In fact there's concern that the Maybach brand may actually be hurting MB dealers. Each Mercedes dealer that sells Maybachs had to invest over $500,000 to prepare their dealership to handle the new brand, and many of these dealers are not getting their investment back in terms of sales.

500 Maybach sales per year had been projected, but actual sales have been only 778 cars since it debuted.

Full story here.

In a related story, might Mercedes fold the Maybach line into the Mercedes-Benz lineup, rather than keep it a separate brand? Hmmm... Not sure that's a good idea, as by doing that, it'll never be held in the same esteem as the Rolls Royce.

My take: I think the success of the new Rolls-Royce Phantom has put a real hurting on the Maybach. In terms of projecting one's ego—which is key in this segment—the Phantom is in a class by itself. There are only so many customers in this rarefied market, and the new RR has grabbed most of them.

I can remember pretty clearly the impact that the 1963 Grosser Mercedes 600, and the LWB Pullman version had back in their day, and was thinking how the new 2006 Mercedes, er, Maybach, relates to those older models. Those early cars were knockouts, and very much fit for heads of state and/or captains of industry, as is the case with the new Maybachs.

If you make the comparison with the current Maybach, the short-wheelbase(?) Grosser Mercedes 600 would be the equivalent of the Maybach 57, and the long-wheelbase Grosser Mercedes 600 Pullman would be the equivalent of the Maybach 62.

Or would they? Just looking at these cars, there's a certain presence that these old Benzes have that the new Maybachs just seem to lack,

In any event, what sparked this comparo is that Maybach has just introduced the hotrod 612 horsepower 62S model, which can do 0-62 in 5.2 seconds, and tops out at 155 mph; so now even the chauffeur can get some giggles. I thought it would be fun to look back at the 40+ year-old Max-Benz, and see how it compares with the current Max-Benz, er, Maybach.

The "pointless exercise in paint" award goes to the Maybach 57S. Typically available in black or silver only, this 57S was requested in a special shade of Antiqua White by a particular customer. Applied in two different layers, the unique shade has a pearl effect which gives the car various shades of color depending on the light. Placed in a glass case like a piece of fine jewelry, it was hard to see what it looked like up close, but from far away it just like any other Maybach, which is tso say not that great.

Rolls-Royce or Maybach? Which would you choose (assuming, of course that you could afford one)? Here's the first comparo of these two that I've seen.

Now if it were me, I'd opt for the Rolls, as it is the most imposing and in-your-face luxury liner in the world. Not only that, but only in the Phantom do you get "waftability," and that's priceless...