Press Release
High-end luxury Saloon travels from Southampton to world premiere in New York
- Voyage of the first Maybach aboard the luxury liner "Queen Elizabeth 2"
- World premiere on July 2, 2002 in New York
- High-end luxury Saloon with groundbreaking Mercedes technology
- Hand-crafted "Manufaktur" production for top quality and perfection
Southampton -- Two days after its triumphant roll-out from the Manufaktur at the DaimlerChrysler Sindelfingen plant, the first Maybach 62 today leaves Southampton on the final stage of its journey to its world premiere: the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 will carry the high-end luxury car to New York where it will be presented to the world for the first time on the morning of July 2, 2002.
During the Atlantic crossing, the Maybach 62 will be protected by a special glass container on the sun deck of the ship -- one of the world's most dis-tinguished and luxurious ocean liners. The Queen Elizabeth 2 leaves Southampton on June 26, 2002 at about 5 p.m. (local time) and sets course for New York. The route starts by following the 50th parallel before dropping to the 48th and rounding the southern tip of Newfoundland. Six and a half days and 3100 nautical miles (5741 kilometres) later, the QE2 is scheduled to head up the Hudson River on the morning of July 2, 2002, and tie up at a one of the Manhattan piers.
After an absence of more than 60 years, the luxury car brand is returning to continue the tradition established by the legendary Maybach models of the 1920s and 30s. Together with Mercedes-Benz, Maybach was regarded as representing the ultimate in vehicle manufacturing excellence in Germany at the time. The years ahead are set to see a return to this status quo.
The time-honored name "Maybach" is returning as a separate brand in its own right within the DaimlerChrysler Group. The new high-end luxury Saloon being presented by the Stuttgart-based auto maker is distinguished by its exceptional spaciousness, supreme quality and exclusive style. In the field of technology, the Maybach benefits from the ground-breaking innovations developed by its sister brand, Mercedes-Benz, which has been setting world-class standards for safety, comfort, reliability and durability for years. Technological innovations from Mercedes-Benz, such as the high-performance electrohydraulic brake system Sensotronic Brake Control (SBCâ„¢) or the electronically controlled AIRMATIC DC (Dual Control) air suspension have undergone further development for the Maybach and are included as standard equipment.
An exceptionally smooth twelve-cylinder power plant which has an output of 405 kW/550 hp and maximum torque of 900 Newton metres is at work un-der the bonnet of the new Maybach. This unit, which offers more power and torque than any other series-production saloon engine, has everything it takes to deliver superior driving performance.
New Center of Excellence at the heart of the luxury car brand
DaimlerChrysler is currently setting up the Centre of Excellence (COE) at the Sindelfingen site in the immediate vicinity of the Maybach Manufaktur facility. This will in future be at the heart of the Maybach brand and is where Maybach customers will be offered comprehensive help and advice. Further Maybach Centres are to be established in Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States. Here, customers can consult 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 styling and appointments of the Saloons are the result of intensive discussions held between the customer, the customer's Personal Liaison Manager and the designers and engineers of the high-end luxury car brand. Each and every vehicle is therefore built practically as a one-off on the basis of specific customer requirements.
High technology meets traditional craftsmanship in the Maybach Manufaktur
Set up by DaimlerChrysler at its Sindelfingen plant, the Maybach Manufaktur 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. With their know-how and expertise they ensure that the Maybach Saloons are the epitome of perfection in every respect and that even the most exacting customer requirements can be turned into reality. From autumn 2002, an average of five Maybach Saloons will leave the Manufaktur every day.
Production of this luxury car is characterised by a marriage of high technology and traditional craftsmanship which creates ideal conditions for attaining the highest levels of precision and perfection. This new prestige car therefore represents a continuation of the tradition established by the Maybach vehicles of the twenties and thirties whose bodies were also hand-built with the greatest care. High technology plays a particularly dominant role at the bodyshell stage, notable examples being the use of lasers to weld the aluminium doors, an automatic "roll-hemming" system and state-of-the-art industrial robots which weld the 600 or so bodywork bolts. These processes, which have not been used in the car production sector before, have been specially developed for the Maybach Manufaktur.
