June 25, 2002

First Maybach heads to New York on Queen Elizabeth 2

The first Maybach leaves Sindelfingen at the beginning of an eight-day journey which will take it first to the English port of Southampton and then on to North America aboard the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth 2. Click image to enlarge

Sindelfingen, Germany - The first Maybach super luxury sedan left the production plant in Sindelfingen, Germany yesterday on its way to Southampton, England where it will be put aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 liner for a voyage to New York City. During the Atlantic crossing, the Maybach will be protected by a special glass container on the QE 2's sun deck.

As the United States will be the biggest market for the Maybach, New York was chosen as the location for the world premiere of the Maybach 62 on July 2, 2002. When it arrives in New York, Jürgen Hubbert, the DaimlerChrysler Board Member responsible for Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach will officially introduce the high-end luxury sedan for the first time.

The Maybach name is returning to the automotive world after an absence of more than 60 years. Together with Mercedes-Benz, Maybach was regarded as representing the elite of German vehicle manufacturing from 1921 to 1941.

The new Maybach 62 will be powered by a twelve-cylinder with 550 horsepower. This new engine offers more power and torque than any other series-production sedan engine in the world, say Maybach officials.

DaimlerChrysler is setting up a "Centre of Excellence" at the Sindelfingen site in the immediate vicinity of the Maybach Manufaktur facility. This is where Maybach customers will be offered comprehensive help and advice. Further Maybach Centres are to be established in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States. Here, customers can meet with their Personal Liaison Manager (PLM), who will be on hand at all times to assist them with any questions they may have about the car. The Maybach approach to customer care services is therefore also entirely new.

The Maybach Manufaktur plant covers an area of 21,000 square metres and has a workforce of some 330 highly skilled staff who are responsible for building the exclusive cars. From Fall, 2002, an average of five Maybach Saloons will leave the state-of-the-art facility every day.

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