Daimler Puts a Third Option on the Table: Turn Maybach into a Sub-Brand for Mercedes

The future of the ailing Maybach brand will be decided, according to reports, until the end of July. Up until now, the German firm’s parent company, Daimler, was faced with two options: either axe the brand entirely, or work with another carmaker, preferably Aston Martin, to share the development and manufacturing costs to the successors of to its not-so-well received uber-sedans.

Now, according to Automotive News, it seems that a third option is on the table: that Maybach will become a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz.

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Mercedes-Benz’s Parent Company Nearing a Decision on the Fate of Maybach

It’s no secret that for quite some time now, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler has just about had it with Maybach and is looking to either shut down the über luxury car brand and call it a day or partner up with British sports carmaker Aston Martin on the development of a new model.

According to a report from Autoweek, the time has come for the German carmaker to make a final decision with the fate of Maybach to be decided by July 1. At a recent press event in Stuttgart, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told journalist that "there is a higher likelihood to come to a positive decision" for Maybach if the company can find a partner. Up until now, the only automaker that has showed interest in working with Daimler on Maybach is Aston Martin.

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British Royal Wedding Inspires Project Kahn’s Maybach 57 Tune

Project Kahn is jumping the shark on the royal wedding bandwagon with a special tune to celebrate Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day on April 29. Traditionally, royal weddings have been marked by commemorative stamps, coins and memorabilia, but times have changed and the British aftermarket specialist’s tribute is a subtly modified Maybach 57 limousine. Read more »

Maybach 57 S Coupe by Xenatec to Debut in Geneva...but not at the Show

German coachbuilder Xenatec will bring the new Maybach 57 S-based coupe to Geneva for the car's first public appearance. Strangely enough, the place chosen for the reveal will not be the Geneva motor show at the Palexpo center, but a specially built pavilion in the gardens of “La Reserve” hotel on the banks of Lake Geneva. The company's decision might have something to do with Maybach being present at the show, but this has not been confirmed.

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Forbes' Top 10 List of the Most Expensive Cars in the World

For most people a $50,000 car is well out of reach, while others happily spend double or triple of that amount on a ride. However, even those enthusiasts might not be so keen to whip out their checkbooks when confronted with the price tag of these vehicles featured in a special list compiled by Forbes.

These are the most expensive cars in the world, usually bought by the kind of people who don’t even break a sweat amidst the worst economic crisis. Forbes' list in not without its flaws as the publication added two vehicles (the Enzo's successor and the upcoming Pagani Zonda C9) that have yet to be revealed, let alone be priced. Nevertheless, you can check out the complete list of exclusive toys for the real tycoons after the jump.

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First Maybach 57S Cruisero Coupe by Xenatec Listed for Sale in Saudi Arabia

The very first example of the Xenatec Maybach 57S Coupe has been put up for sale by Saudi-Arabian-based luxury car dealer, AutoKingdom, which is one of two companies outside of Germany listed as an official dealer of the limited production model, the other being the ArmorTech Group from Russia.

The Maybach-endorsed coupe, which carries the 'Cruiserio' nametag, is priced by AutoKingdom at €715,000, or about US$943,000 at the current exchange rates, according to Jameslist. Previously, Xenatec had announced that the über-luxurious coupe will be offered at an ex-works price of €675,000 (US$890,000) excluding local taxes.

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Mercedes and Aston Martin Working Together to Save Maybach?

Mercedes-Benz finally appears to be getting its head straight in regards to the laughable Maybach brand. The Financial Times indicates that Mercedes is courting Aston Martin to help bring the Maybach name back from the brink; the plan is to allow the British automaker to both design and manufacture Benz's Bentley competitor.

All these murmurings involve a lot of back-and-forth; in this case, Aston would do Mercedes's Maybach work, while Mercedes could provide powertrain tech to the British marque (think smaller displacement engines). Apparently outsourcing the next Maybach's assembly and coachwork to Aston could be cheaper than if Mercedes did it on its own.

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LA Auto Show Design Contest Part 1: Cadillac, Honda, Maybach and Mazda Concepts

For the past seven years, the most important automotive design studios in Southern California compete in a Design Challenge organized by the Los Angeles Auto Show. For this year's edition of the show, which runs November 19-29, the event planners decided to add an international flavor to the contest by inviting studios from Germany and Japan to join the competition for the very first time.

The theme for the 2010 Design Challenge is the creation of a super-efficient and lightweight four-passenger car: "The objective is to envision an efficient, light-weight, four passenger vehicle (not to exceed 1,000 lbs.), that is both comfortable and safe, while delivering satisfactory driving performance without sacrificing the styling consumers demand. "

Follow the break for the first group of concept models by Cadillac, Honda, Maybach and Mazda, and stay tuned for the second part.

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Beijing Auto Show: Maybach's Face-lifted Offerings

Maybach, Daimler's Bentley/Roller division, is debuting the face-lifted versions of its 57 and 62 models in Beijing (now "with added sparkle"!). What can we expect from the little mega-luxury brand that couldn't?

First off, the body gets a few pinches here and there: a redesigned front bumper gets some extra trim, the new arrow-shaped hood gets snazzy edges and bigger, aerodynamic mirrors improve merging and now reduce driving noise.

Outside, the newish models will also feature more bling in the form of "a large new chrome radiator grille", LED daytime running lights, "high-quality dark red taillights", and "stylish wheels".

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Last Call for an Overpriced, Outdated S-Class: Maybach Might be Shuttered, After All

This is could be the end of the road for Maybach, the über-luxury marque that was re-launched by Mercedes-Benz in 2002. Mercedes' attempt to snag market share in the upper echelon of the luxury market (i.e. from Rolls-Royce and Bentley) has fallen relatively flat on its face, mostly thanks to insane pricing, relatively-dated styling, and shady Wall Street-ers losing everyone's money.

Admittedly, the Landaulet is pretty unique, but why anyone would end up paying almost $1.4 million for a stretched, previous-generation S-Class with a cloth top and a 5-speed automatic transmission is beyond me.

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VIDEO: Bentley Continental and Maybach 62 Scrape Sides in Russia

Whilst this incident isn't in way serious - thankfully, it's not every day that you see a Bentley Continental and a Maybach 62 scraping sides (or ends, we can't tell with certainty from the video). According to the Russian media, the accident happened somewhere in Moscow when the driver of the Bentley lost control of the car due the slippery conditions of the road. More pics and video after the break.

Thanks for the tip Allen!