That’s the announcement Dietrich Zetsche will make in a German newspaper.
The struggling luxury marque has been at risk of closure since the beginning of the recession in 2008 after chronically weak sales figures worsened as the world tightened its belt. The final nail in the coffin, however, has been a total worldwide production volume of just 180 units for 2011.
Mercedes’ luxury brand was revived in 2002 – although the name dates back to 1909 - to combat BMW’s Rolls Royce and VW’s Bentley brands. However the brand was never as strong as its more established rivals and, coupled with unimaginative styling and old Mercedes S-class tech, Maybach never realised its potential stateside or in Europe.
It was at once thought that next generation 57 and 62 models would be developed in conjunction with Aston Martin. However, talks broke down and, thanks to previous dismal sales performance, Zetsche saw it financially viable for the manufacturer to have a future.
After Maybach’s execution in 2013 Mercedes will concentrate on larger, more exclusive S-class and CL-class variants to combat other ultra-luxury brands.*By Alex Michaelides
Source:Maybach to cease production in 2013