Maybach Revives Zeppelin Nameplate with Super-luxe Limo
In 1997, Mercedes-Benz entered the top echelon of the luxury market by reviving the long dormant Maybach brand. In the dozen years that have followed, Maybach hasn't quite matched the success of arch-rival BMW's Rolls-Royce division or the Volkswagen Group's Bentley asset, so at the upcoming Geneva Auto Salon, Maybach will reach into its history and pull another defunct luxury nameplate in the hope of attracting more customers.
Called the Zeppelin, the top-of-the-line Maybach trim level is based on the existing 57 S and 62 S models and upgrades on them with a series of extra special luxury touches. Exterior differentiations are kept to a minimum – largely restricted to darker wheels and tail-lamps – while inside the luxuriously appointed cabin, the Zeppelin gets special beige leather upholstery with contrasting black stitching, piano lacquer black trim, silver champagne flutes and a unique acrylic fragrance dispenser. The super-luxe Zeppelin will sell for €406,000 (about $525,000) in 57-decimeter length and €473,200 ($612,000) for the 62-decimeter model, and will be limited to 100 models...if they can manage to sell that many.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chase Feb 11th 2009 9:04PM
They need to learn that yes, people will pay $525,000 for a car (not a lot of people, but some), but not for a dolled up version of a car that costs less $100,000. For Maybach to be successful, MB is going to have to create something unique, something extraordinary. Not a tricked-out S-class.
mjk Feb 12th 2009 2:31PM
With a name like Zepplin, this will not end well.....
Bertram Workum Feb 20th 2009 4:36AM
You say -- quite accurately, that "Maybach hasn't quite matched the success of arch-rival BMW's Rolls-Royce division or the Volkswagen Group's Bentley asset..." Is there any doubt as to the reason? The car has no style, no class, no elan. I don't think its looks even approximate a tricked-out S-class Mercedes, as Chase says. It doesn't have the class of the "S." I'll grant it super luxury. But at those prices, a buyer wants a car that turns heads and makes onlookers gasp -- like the various Rolls-Royces or Bentleys. All the Maybach looks like is a giant lima bean on wheels, just a super luxurious overgrown Camry.