Maybach 62 Landaulet

Overview
Manufacturer Daimler AG
Production

2002-2013
3000+ produced

Assembly

Stuttgart, Germany

Designer

Olivier Boulay; Shuichi Yamashita,

Anthony Lo (1999)
Body and chassis

Class

Full-size luxury car

Body style

4-door sedan

Layout

FR layout

Related

Mercedes-Benz W140
Powertrain

Engine

5.5 L 5,513 cc (336 cu in) V12

6.0 L 5,980 cc (365 cu in) V12

Transmission 5-speed automatic (5G-TRONIC)

Dimensions
Wheelbase

57: 133.5 in (3,391 mm)

62: 150.7 in (3,828 mm)

Length

2008-2013 62: 242.7 in (6,165 mm)

2008-2013 57: 225.5 in (5,728 mm)
2002-07 62: 242.5 in (6,160 mm)
2002-07 57: 225.3 in (5,723 mm)

Width

78.0 in (1,981 mm)

Height

62.0 in (1,575 mm)

Top-End 57 (2008-2013): 61.3 in
(1,557 mm)
Top-End 57 (2002-07): 61.5 in
(1,562 mm)

Curb weight

2,735 kg (6,030 lb) (57)

2,805 kg (6,184 lb) (62)
Chronology

Predecessor

Mercedes-Benz 600

Successor

Mercedes-Maybach S-Class X222

The Maybach 62 (chassis no. V240) were the first automobile models of the Maybach brand since
the brand's revival by DaimlerChrysler AG (now Daimler AG). They are derived from the Benz
Maybach concept car presented at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show. The concept car was based on
the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, as are the production models. The Luxury Brand Status
Index 2008 voted the Maybach first place, ahead of Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The models ceased
production in 2013, due to continued financial losses for the marque, and sales at one-fifth the level
of the profitable Rolls-Royce models.
History
Wilhelm Maybach was an engineer who worked with Gottlieb Daimler to design combustion
engines. The first Daimler-Maybach automobile was built in 1889. Over the years, the Maybach
name developed into a brand name for automobiles that were typically very large, powerful, and
luxurious. For example, the Maybach Zeppelin DS 8 Cabriolet built in 1929 had side sections that
could be lowered completely to allow it to be used as a car in a parade. In 2003, DaimlerChrysler
AG's competitor, BMW AG, purchased the ultra-luxury brand Rolls-Royce. The Maybach brand
name was reintroduced in 2002 to be a direct challenger to BMW's top vehicle, the Rolls-Royce
Phantom.

Design
Maybach models are variants of the same ultra-luxurious automobile. The model numbers reflect
the respective lengths of the automobiles in decimetres; the 57 is more likely to be owner-driven
while the longer 62 is designed with a chauffeur in mind.
Features
Standard features of all models include, but are not limited to: a navigation system with voice
recognition; air conditioning with four-zone climate controls; power rear sunshade; rear-seat DVD
entertainment system; interior air filter; front and rear seat massage; 21-speaker premium sound
system; power tilt/telescopic heated wood/leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio and climate
controls; power trunk open/close; voice-activated AM/FM radio with 6-disc CD changer; keyless
start; heated front and rear seats; cooled front seats; adaptive cruise control; premium leather
upholstery; 18-way power front seats; 14-way power rear seats; heated cupholders; rearview
camera; iPod adapter; wireless cell phone link; outside-temperature indicator; universal garage door
opener.
Options for the Maybach 62 and 62S include: 18-way power rear seats (replacing 14-way); power
side sunshades; cooled rear seats; wireless headphones; electrochromic power panoramic
sunroof (replacing power sunroof); steering wheel mounted navigation controls.
The company offers various options for customers to personalise their vehicles, and provides
various equipment combinations.
Performance
The engine is a Mercedes-sourced 5.5-litre twin-turbo V12, generating 405 kilowatts (550.6 PS;
543.1 hp).
The Maybach 57 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in about 5.1 seconds; the Maybach 62
and 57 S, about 4.8 seconds; the Maybach 62 S, 4.5 seconds, and the Landaulet, 4.5 seconds.
Though not extraordinary by today's sports-car standards, such acceleration is impressive for cars
weighing well over 6,000 lb. Maybachs in general are extremely powerful: the 57 has 518 bhp
(386 kW; 525 PS); the 57 S, 559 bhp (417 kW; 567 PS); the 62, 570 bhp (425 kW; 578 PS); the 62
S, 612 bhp (456 kW; 620 PS), and the Landaulet, 633 bhp (472 kW; 642 PS).
Price
As of early 2008, European and United States prices were:

Maybach Landaulet - $1,350,000 / 900,000

Introduction
On June 26, 2002, a Maybach 62 enclosed in a glass case on the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 departed
from Southampton, England, en route to New York City, with the media and company officials
staying in the luxury suites on board. The ship arrived in New York on July 2, welcomed by
geysering fireboats and a motor boat. A helicopter lifted the car off the liner and onto a dock. It was
then driven to the Regent Hotel, Wall Street.
The Maybach 62 includes many luxury features such as fully reclining rear seats, Maybach fourzone climate control, tinted windows, infrared-reflecting laminated glass all round, AirMATIC dualcontrol air suspension, display instruments in rear roof liner (showing speed, time, and outside
temperature), folding rear tables (left and right), BOSE Surround Everywhere sound system, and a
refrigerator compartment. The Maybach 62 also includes an array of additional features such as

Cockpit Management and Navigation System (COMAND), which includes DVD navigation, CD
changer in rear seats, DVD players and TV tuners front and rear, two rear LCD TV screens
including remote control and two sets of headphones, and automatic closing doors.
Even though the Maybach 62 has all these features included, optional extras are available. Some of
these are a panoramic glass sunroof at a cost of $11,670, and an external communication system,
and a loudspeaker and microphone system which allows the occupant in the rear of the Maybach to
converse with people outside the car. This option comes at a cost of $1,780. Additionally, a
retractable electrotransparent partition screen between the driver and the rear occupants costs
$23,780 and, most expensive, a high-protection GUARD B4 Package costs an additional $151,810.
The Maybach 62 S appeared in November 2006 at the Auto China 2006 exhibit in Beijing. It
features the same engine as the 57S, a 612-metric-horsepower (450 kW) twin-turboV12 made
by Mercedes-Benz AMG. However, the suspension remains untouched.
Maybach 62 Landaulet
The Maybach 62 Landaulet, based on the Maybach 62S, revives the classic landaulet car body style,
which was popular in the 1920s and 30s. Powered by the 62S's 612-horsepower
(456 kW) biturbo V12, the Landaulet's front seats are fully enclosed and separated from the rear
passenger compartment by a power divider window; the opacity of this partition can be
electronically controlled.
A sliding soft roof allows back-seat passengers to take in the sun from the comfort of their seats.
The chauffeur's area is finished in black leather, while the rear is white with piano black- and goldflecked black granite inserts.
Maybach publicly unveiled the Landaulet at the Middle East International Auto Show around the
end of November 2007 as a concept car. Limited production was confirmed in January 2008. In
total, 8 units were made, one of which was owned by rapper Birdman.
2013 cessation
With poor sales expectations and heavy impact of 2008 financial crises, Daimler AG undertook a
review of the whole Maybach division. These included talks with Aston Martinto engineer and style
the next generation of Maybach models along with the next generation of Lagonda models.
However, on 25 November 2011, Daimler announced that sales of all Maybach models and the
brand would cease in 2013. Before the announcement, only 3000 Maybach vehicles had been sold,
with estimated loss of 330,000 for each car sold.
The line will be replaced by Mercedes-Benz S-Class Pullman models. An executive told a Frankfurt
newspaper that: "(Daimler) came to the conclusion that the sales chances for the Mercedes brand
were better than that of Maybach."
One suggestion for Maybach's struggles was that parent Daimler had failed to differentiate it from
its Mercedes-Benz brand. While all three ultra-luxury brands share platforms and engines with other
luxury brands from their parent auto company, Maybachs are built alongside the Mercedes-Benz SClass flagship sedan, whereas Rolls-Royce andBentley are assembled in England (separate from the
rest of BMW and Volkswagen Group's production plants), and thus are regarded as being more
"exclusive". Furthermore, the Maybach's pedigree was virtually unknown outside Germany, unlike
its British rivals which have long enjoyed renown worldwide; indeed the 2006 Rolls-Royce
Phantom's interior evokes memories of a 1930s car, while the Maybach 57S's inside makes no
reference to its brand's history.

In October 2013, Top Gear magazine placed the Maybach 57 and 62 on its list of "The 13 worst
cars of the last 20 years", commenting that "Mercedes-Benz decided to reactivate a brand that
nobody under the age of 90 outside Stuttgart remembered, slathering an ersatz reject Hyundai
luxury body over an ageing S-Class platform and hoping that various oligarchs, rap stars and Paris
Hilton wouldn't notice that it was actually an elaborate con. They didn't. But we did. The 57S
version finally gave the hapless guy up front something to do other than stirring up revolutionary
resentment towards his boss, but by the time the Landaulet appeared, the game was up, and
Mercedes iced the brand in favour of six different versions of the new S-Class. Smart move. RollsRoyce, meanwhile, is on course for a record year in 2013."