After Daimler announced that it is killing off its failed Maybach brand to concentrate on the next Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Bentley immediately started eyeing up Maybach’s customers such as music singer/producer Jay-Z (who, incidentally, destroyed one in a video), King of Spain Juan Carlos, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and the Sultan of Brunei.
“The withdrawal of Maybach is a business opportunity for us and we’re going to use it,” Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer told Reuters during the Detroit Motor Show
Duerheimer added that he would invite current Maybach owners for VIP tours in Bentley’s Crewe factory as he wants to create “a specific welcome zone” inside the brand.
Of course, Bentley’s former owner Rolls-Royce is also in the game. Even though a company representative said that the British brand would “naturally welcome any current Maybach customers”, he noted that they wouldn’t be as aggressive. “Seeking them out and hunting them down is not the Rolls-Royce way,” said the company spokesman.
The US$380,000 Rolls Royce Phantom is only $30,000 more expensive than the entry-level Maybach but considerably cheaper than the $500k 62S (sans options) owned by Jay Z.
Bentley’s Mulsanne starts even lower, at “just” US$290,000, which proves why the ungainly styling wasn’t the only reason Maybach never stood a chance. Proof, if any was needed, were the 200 models Maybach delivered in 2011, compared to Bentley’s 7,003 units. Even Rolls-Royce, which has a smaller range, managed a 31 percent rise to 3,538 deliveries last year.
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