Car Throttle

BMW and Volkswagen got into the high-end luxury game in the 2000's through their purchases of British luxury brands Rolls-Royce and Bentley. As BMW's rival and eager to get a piece of the profits in the segment, Mercedes-Benz launched the Maybach brand. Since then it hasn't fared quite as well as Mercedes had hoped. For one, the name was virtually unknown to any of the car's target market. The question now has been whether Mercedes-Benz would drop Maybach, and if not - would it get new product. Corporate pride will likely mean the division will soldier on. The company has toyed with two-door models in the past like the Excelero Concept, but never put any into production. Xanatec, an aftermarket company, is happy to oblige with its new Maybach

If you aren't yet convinced that Beijing is the new place to launch the world's most decadent new luxury sedans, is this enough evidence? While Rolls-Royce and Bentley, owned by Volkswagen and BMW, have been very successful, Maybach, owned Mercedes-Benz, hasn't met the same success. There have been many reports that the brand would be cut, but it doesn't look like that is the case - yet. Besides, the segment is highly lucrative - we guess that they'll give Maybach another go with a new model. For a company like Mercedes that has a lot of pride, it would be a deep blow to exit the high-end market and acknowledge failure. Mercedes needs a competitor to Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The exterior of the Maybach range benefits from a new

The fluttering of the death angels have been heard around the halls of Maybach headquarters these past few days - and I'm sure that the days have been stretching out and seeming like weeks. What with the world economic mess, and the sales dropping off, what's an uber-luxo-barge maker to do? The rumor has been that Daimler, parent company of Maybach, has been considering selling off the brand. And that seems like a reasonable thing to assume, and it gives the rumors credence, but who would Daimler sell the brand to? Who's got that kind of cash, and who would be interested? Turns out that things just heated up with news that Chinese firm BYD might be an interested suitor. The website auto.sina.com (one of China's

In recent times before the economic crisis (and even faring pretty well through it), high-end luxury automakers like Rolls-Royce and Bentley have done very well. Daimler wanted to jump in on that lucrative market and field an entry against competitors BMW and Volkswagen. Out of that, Maybach was born. Since its introduction, the car hasn't exactly been a sales success. The fact that it uses a name nobody really knew of before and that it looks far too similar to the S-Class (an excellent product on its own merits) couldn't have helped. Rumors have swirled about the brand being cancelled. It would come as a humiliating defeat for Daimler. Regardless, new models have continued to be released. They include the convertible Landaulet and this new model line called

Here's a rumor that might be considered ugly by those of you that are into huge, opulent sedans built in limited numbers: Maybach might be folding up its tent and quitting. Deiter Zetsche, head dude at Mercedes, parent company of Maybach, recently said that the German uber- luxury brand " ... may not be seeing too many sunrises in the foreseeable future." Zetsche, who was speaking to reporters at this years Frankfurt Motor Show recently, pointed out that Maybach may soon be phased out because of a " ... shift in consumer preference in luxury cars resulting from the global financial crisis." Or to put it another, and more obvious, way 'There ain't as many rich folk, or people who can afford to drop this kind of

Next Bentley Arnage To Move Upscale; is that an oxymoron? Apparently not. Normally when you think of the ultimate, most expensive automobiles in the world, Bentley comes to mind. . Bentley represents some of the ultimate in motoring. Apparently, Volkswagen's management wants the brand be taken further up market to compete with BMW's Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz's Maybach.  Given that the Maybach experiment isn't going too well for Mercedes though, I'm not sure that is such a great target. Based in part on the Audi A8, the next-generation Arnage is set to grow bigger in every dimension.  Historically, Bentley has always been the sportier brand in comparison to Rolls-Royce. Free from that constraint, the brand can be taken wherever VW wants it to go. "Project Kimblerly", as it is codenamed, is set to be unveiled