Frankfurt: Mercedes-Benz is reviving the Maybach name for a second time to challenge Rolls-Royce and Bentley for the world’s wealthiest auto buyers.
Maybach, a 1930s-era marque, will become the ultra-luxury sub-brand of Mercedes, offering more spacious and opulent adaptations of cars like the S-Class sedan, the Stuttgart, Germany-based company said on Tuesday.
Mercedes is reversing a 2011 decision to end production of Maybach as part of a broader makeover of branding at Mercedes. Under a plan to rename its sport-utility vehicles, roadsters and coupes starting next year, the M-Class SUV becomes the GLE.
“They are cleaning up past mistakes that they allowed to produce chaos,” said Juergen Pieper, a Frankfurt-based analyst with Bankhaus Metzler. “It’s a good and logical move.”
With Mercedes seeking to leap from third to No. 1 in global luxury-car sales, the moves play catchup to rivals. BMW AG and Volkswagen AG are already active in the ultra-luxury segment with the Rolls-Royce and Bentley brands, respectively, while BMW and Volkswagen’s Audi also clearly distinguish SUVs from their mainline sedans and wagons.
