Maybach strikes out Down Under

Despite Australia’s record-breaking 1 million-car sales this year, Maybach managed to snag exactly zero buyers. To put this in perspective, with a population of approximately 21 million, 1 million cars sold means nearly one in 20, or roughly five percent of Australians bought a car this year alone. It’s probably true that fewer than 1 in 20 Australians could theoretically afford a Maybach, but with not a single car sold, one has to wonder about the viability of the brand - and not just in Australia.

And it’s not like the million cars sold were all budget-loving economy cars, either. Luxury marques saw rises across the board, from Ferrari’s 43.6 percent increase in sales to Bentley’s 17.6%, expensive cars sold well in Australia this year. Rolls-Royce even managed 17 sales, an increase of 5 over 2006. In fact, Rolls-Royce cars are in such great demand that the factory simply can’t keep up with the demand. So what’s wrong with Maybach?

It could be the excessively gaudy looks - although those who’ve seen the tricked-out tuner Rolls-Royces and Bentleys being offered might disagree - or it could be the staggeringly high price, although again, expensive cars sold wonderfully this year, especially in Australia. So what’s keeping Maybach back? Maybe it’s the fact that the Maybach line is based entirely off of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class - an already stellar vehicle in it’s own right, but hardly in need of a third of a million dollars in chrome, chrome-colored accessories and interior modification. Whatever the reason for the dismal sales, we’re going to go ahead and start preparing our eulogy now.