Mercedes slowly killing Maybach franchises in the U.S.

Since the sales of the ultimate-luxury brand Maybach continue to fall, Mercedes-Benz USA has decided to kill the number of Maybach franchises by more than half. 29 of Maybach’s original 71 United States dealers have given up on Maybach, said Ernst Lieb, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA.

When Mercedes introduced the brand five years ago, Mercedes-Benz dealerships spent over $500,000 preparing their showrooms for the Maybach brand, however the cars aren’t selling as well as they”d hope. Annual goals were set at 600 units, however in 2006 Mercedes sold only 146 Maybachs in the U.S.

There have been talks of a smaller Maybach that will be closer to the S600, although pricing will keep up with Maybach standards. There have also been rumors of a Maybach version of the GL-Class as well as a convertible based on the Ocean Drive Concept, which originally started its life as a Maybach.

 

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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