Maybach was a mistake

Mercedes-Benz head of sales and marketing Joachim Schmidt says the purchase of the failed super-luxury brand was a mistake.

The Koreans have taken the lead, the Japanese have returned, and the One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newbies sure to be a hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its chief executive that made the biggest impact when America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Auto Show.

Speaking at the Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz head of sales and marketing Joachim Schmidt said buying the failed super-luxury brand was a mistake.

In the next few years, the German automaker will compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley with three of its own S-Class models, he said.

Maybach was founded as a German luxury car manufacturer in 1909 and revived in 1997 when Daimler bought it.

However, the global financial crisis took its toll on the prestigious brand, and in November Daimler announced it would end Maybach operations in 2013.

Admitting that the Maybach purchase was a mistake, Schmidt says the brand grew last year, selling 210 cars, almost a fifth more. Only 3000 Maybachs were sold during the entire ownership period.

“In the end, we broke even on the Maybach project,” he says. “Maybach will exist until 2013 when we introduce the new S-Class. We will have three variants of the S-Class that could appeal to Rolls-Royce customers."

He says he doesn't think it will be easy for the company to produce cars from light class to Roller status.