Maybach's service keeps it personal

By DAVID LINKLATER

Caption2: STRETCH OUT: Rear passengers in the luxurious Maybach get a vast amount of space and individual airline-style seats along with state-of-the-art electronic systems.

Caption1: PEAK PERFORMANCE: The Maybach's 5.5-litre V12 twin turbo generates plenty of power for a series production engine.

The new Maybach limousine, officially on sale in Europe this week, presents DaimlerChrysler New Zealand with a problem.

The difficulty is not in finding buyers for the $800,000-plus Mercedes-Benz built machine. It is understood that one New Zealand buyer has opened the Maybach order book already. Nor should there be a problem getting the vehicle. The flagship sedan will certainly be built in right-hand-drive for lucrative markets such as Britain and Japan.

The problem for DaimlerChrysler New Zealand is establishing the lavish infrastructure demanded by the factory to market and service the Maybach. Whether a distributor sells one or 100 cars, the requirements are the same: a Personal Liaison Manager is needed to deal directly with owners, provide service around the clock and access to dedicated maintenance facilities, if not within the country of sale, then certainly by air freight.

The investment is huge. But can it be justified for such a tiny market?

"This is an issue that we're working through at the moment," a DaimlerChrysler New Zealand spokesman said. "It certainly helps that Australia is going through the same process."

The liaison manager is the linchpin of the Maybach ownership concept. Each manager is responsible for a small group of Maybach owners, always ready with advice on all issues related to the car.

The heart of Maybach is a long way from Auckland city. A Centre of Excellence has been established in Sindelfingen, Germany, where customers can work with their manager to personalise every aspect of their vehicle before it is built.

Customers who cannot make it to the centre will have access to video conferencing facilities to speak to Maybach experts. Virtual reality computer systems will show them what their vehicle will look like in every detail.

The Sindelfingen Centre will be joined by a global network of sales points. Another 10 centres are planned across Europe, as well as a network of 50 specialist service facilities worldwide.

Customers can pick up their Maybach at any centre or have it delivered to their door. When servicing or maintenance is required, it is a major operation co-ordinated by the liaison manager. You certainly don't drop the keys off at your local Mercedes dealer. The car must be transported to the nearest official Maybach centre and where there is no alternative - such as New Zealand - the factory will send sea/air freight containers which have been customised for the luxury limousines.

Within Europe it's a little easier. The car will be transported by truck to the nearest available service centre, as agreed in advance by the manager and the customer.

The Maybach has been launched in two models, the 57 and 62, with entry-level ex-factory prices of $710,000 and $830,000 respectively. The names are derived from the body lengths of the two cars, 5700mm and 6200mm.

The rear passengers get a vast amount of space and individual airline-style seats. The rear compartment is also equipped with state-of-the-art electronic systems including TV, DVD player, CD changer, telephone and Dolby surround sound system. The powerful telecommunications system comprises a mobile phone as well as a permanently installed car phone.

A refrigerated compartment in the rear, two-tone exterior paintwork and a tilting/sliding sunroof are all available for both Maybach models at no extra charge.

The electronically controlled Airmatic dual-control air suspension and the electro-hydraulic Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) have been adapted from Mercedes-Benz models for use in the Maybach.

The luxury car's new 5.5-litre V12 twin turbo powerplant develops a maximum output of 405kW with torque peaking at an immense 900Nm. More than 620Nm are already on tap at 1500rpm, the 800Nm mark is reached at 1800rpm and from 2300rpm the powerplant develops the full 900Nm - a figure unmatched in any series production engine, claims DaimlerChrysler.

The Maybach name has not been used on a production vehicle for 60 years, but dates back to the dawn of the motor-car. Gottlieb Daimler became mentor to a 19-year-old engineer named Wilhelm Maybach in 1865 and the two collaborated for 35 years. After Daimler's death in 1900, Maybach worked with Emil Jellinek and designed what is now acknowledged as the "first true car": a low-slung, long-wheelbase model named after Jellinek's daughter Mercedes.

In 1907 Maybach left car design to work in the aviation industry with son Karl. But after World War I, aircraft manufacture was banned in Germany and the father-and-son team returned to cars.

Starting with a prototype on a Mercedes chassis, Maybach evolved into a true luxury brand with the W3 at the 1921 Berlin Motor Show.

Karl Maybach recalled the show well: "Ahead of the major show staged by the Association of the German Motor Vehicle Industry in 1921, certain members of the board asked me mockingly if Maybach was going to present the cheapest car of the lot.

"They were rather upset when I replied, 'No, the most expensive."'

Production of Maybach cars ended in 1941 and Daimler-Benz acquired the name in 1960.