Why China is crucial to the success of Mercedes-Maybach

The quality of a Maybach mentation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class connected a recent occurrence of deed US bid Succession prompted a statement connected UK car Twitter, begging the question: erstwhile did you past spot one?

Belying its rarity successful the UK, Mercedes has successful information made a spectacular planetary occurrence of its ultra-luxury brand, fixed that pricing starts astatine a lofty £173,165. 

In 2020, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius promised helium would treble Maybach income from the 12,000 achieved successful 2019. Last year, Mercedes-Maybach managed astir precisely that: posting income of 23,400. In the aforesaid year, cardinal rival Bentley recorded income of 15,174, itself a grounds for the brand.  

The crushed Maybach isn’t that disposable present successful the UK is due to the fact that its occurrence is chiefly driven by request successful Asia and peculiarly China, wherever Mercedes precocious launched the sub-brand’s 3rd model: the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV, its archetypal electrical version. 

The unveiling of the EQS SUV astatine the Shanghai centrifugal show successful April was an acknowledgement of however overmuch Maybach owes to China. Around fractional its income spell to Chinese customers, revealed Mercedes past year, making the state the brand’s fig 1 marketplace globally. South Korea is fig two. “Maybach represents the latest successful exertion combined with the latest successful luxury. It’s a operation that works good successful the Chinese marketplace especially,” Maybach boss Daniel Lescow told Autocar astatine the sidelines of the Shanghai show. 

While brands similar Bentley and Rolls-Royce downplay the latest technology, often hiding it, Mercedes-Maybach flaunts it via the same, progressively ample MBUX multimedia touchscreens utilized connected modular versions of the cars. That plays good successful China, wherever luxury customers are connected mean overmuch younger.

Shanghai was chosen for the motorboat past twelvemonth of the brand’s first-ever dedicated ‘Atelier’, a French connection meaning artist’s studio, indicating that this is nary specified showroom. More are being planned globally, with nary authoritative connection yet connected wherever the adjacent metropolis volition be. “It’s a precise quiescent abstraction to person your ain Salon Prive,” said Lescow. “It’s important we spell beyond, not conscionable successful presumption of merchandise but besides lawsuit expectations.”

Mercedes is deliberately linking Maybach to precocious fashion. It partnered celebrated US manner decorator Virgil Abloh earlier his untimely decease successful 2021. His enactment with the marque lives connected successful the Maybach S-Class Haute Voiture, a peculiar variation constricted to 150 and a hush-hush terms tag apt to beryllium good beyond the £217,200 for the V12-powered Mercedes-Maybach S680 First Class connected which it is based. The bouclé cloth lining the interior is repeated successful a scope of bags and different accessories. “We don’t bash car shows, we bash trunk shows,” Mercedes caput of plan Gorden Wagener said of Maybach astatine the brand’s Economics of Desire superior markets lawsuit past year, referring to a benignant of manner show.

Mercedes has learned important lessons with Maybach. It archetypal revived the storied luxury marque backmost successful 1997 aft missing retired connected the German premium scramble for ownership of Bentley and Rolls-Royce (sold to Volkswagen and BMW respectively). However, the stretched 57 and 62 were not a success, with Mercedes subsequently admitting it mislaid $439,000 (£352,000) connected each exemplary sold.

Mercedes re-launched Maybach again successful 2014 but this clip it was overmuch cannier. The cars person their ain property led by the trademark grille with its slim chrome bars, but truly they are top-spec versions of Mercedes models, thing that is made wide by retaining the Mercedes naming structure. 

This ensures that, this time, they are highly profitable. Mercedes doesn’t interruption retired Maybach financials but – arsenic portion of the company’s Top-End Luxury unchangeable of cars including AMG, the G-Wagen and definite EQ electrical models – it is helping the steadfast execute industry-leading margins, hitting 14.8% successful the archetypal 4th of 2023. In those 3 months, Maybach sold 6700 cars (up 8% connected the aforesaid play successful 2022).

There’s nary peculiar accumulation facility, either. The luxury interiors are installed connected the aforesaid enactment arsenic the regular model, which means for the GLS and EQS SUV, Mercedes’ installation successful Vance, Alabama. That signature two-tone overgarment (a £13,650 enactment connected the S-Class) is applied successful a peculiar installation connected site, with masking for the pinstripe done by hand. Only successful Sindelfingen, Germany, for the Maybach S-Class volition the car determination to a antithetic installation successful the accumulation process and lone past if a lawsuit orders an enactment from the Manufaktur bespoke list. 

The line-up is growing. The Maybach version of the EQS SUV joins the Maybach GLS ample SUV on with the S-Class, with much models coming. Wagener past twelvemonth teased a mentation of the Mercedes SL that volition springiness Maybach its archetypal rival to Bentley’s Continental GT. “This would beryllium thing abbreviated of a imagination car successful each aspects,” Mercedes caput of improvement Markus Schäfer said astatine May 2022’s fiscal markets event. No timing has been given, nor has it for a imaginable coupé that has been shown arsenic the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Coupé concept. Also without a motorboat day is the bonzer Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury concept, an SUV-saloon confection that Mercedes unveiled successful China backmost successful 2018. 

Given the outgo of creating a bespoke car for Maybach and bearing successful caput lessons learned from the 57 and 62, it’s imaginable some volition stay concepts designed much to spark involvement successful the marque successful lieu of accepted marketing.

In the UK, the Maybach you are most likely to spot is the GLS 600. Last twelvemonth that was by acold the sub-brand’s biggest seller with 68 sold retired of a full of 87, according to Mercedes figures, showing that maturation successful the ultra-luxury assemblage remains SUV-led. Right present the exemplary is unavailable to bargain portion the marque prepares a facelifted mentation arriving successful mid-May.

The EQS SUV is acceptable to bolster GLS income erstwhile it arrives successful the UK successful the archetypal fractional of adjacent year, but Maybach is apt to stay a uncommon show successful the UK. The Maybach luxury-tech operation is acold much of a deed successful Asia, and with overseas brands nether unit from burgeoning Chinese car makers successful the bigger-volume sectors, that represents a large triumph for Mercedes.