Maybach will launch a ‘China Special Edition’ based on the 57S for the Chinese market. Unique features include a special red/grew paint job, special alloys and a special interior with red stitching. Power is unchanged, the mighty V12 pumps out an astonishing 612hp and 1000nm.

Just like everywhere else Maybach doesn’t sell very well in China, Rolls Royce and Bentley are doing much better. Maybach tried to win over Chinese customers by launching both the new 62 and the new 62S in China but it didn’t help much. Maybach clearly hopes this ‘China Special Edition’ will do better…   We don’t know yet about the price but the standard 62S starts at 10.7 million yuan, that is 1.66 million USD.

How tasteful.

Pics via: 163.com.

Another Maybach in my street, one might think I live in a good neighborhood. The man in the grey shirt on the right of pic was the driver. We smoked a cigarette and talked cars. I asked him why his boss hadn’t bought a Rolls Royce which was more beautiful. I expected an answer like: ‘the Maybach is much better!’ Instead the driver said that his boss indeed thought the Roller a more beautifull car but that he bought the Maybach anyway because it was more expensive. All Rolls needs to to is ask more money for their cars!

Rolls however does not seem to know this. Other makers of extremely expensive cars do, they bring special ‘China Editions’ on the market for China only, costing much more money than the standard car. Bentley does it, Lamborghini does it, Ferraro did and does it,  and Spyker will do it. All thise special editions are usually sold out the second they are announced.

As long as Rolls Royce doesn’t come up with a more expensive car or a China special, Maybach can lean back and enjoy the ride.

A Maybach 62S in a Chinese city. Numberplate reads five 8′s. Eight is considered a lucky number in China and plates with ’8′ are in high demand, the five-8 was likely very expensive. But problably worth it, the lucky man now just eeds to sit back in his supercar and wait for more luck falling from the sky.

The new Maybach 62S debuted at the Chengdu Auto Show in Sichuan province. The ‘normal’ Maybach 62 debuted earlier at the Beijing Auto Show. China is clearly an imported market for Maybach and this is confirmed by one number: a German employee from Benz-China told me Maybach sold 14 cars at the Beijing Auto Show, most of ‘m the 62. The even more exclusive ‘S’, for ‘sport’ indeed, is available from now for a 10.7 million yuan, 1.6 million USD.

It loox actually much ‘newer’ when one sees face to face, yesterday’s official pictures didn’t do it right. The grille is far bigger and impressive compared to the old car and the leds make it more aggressive. Benz hopes to sell a few of ‘m to the new rich in China before it kills the brand. But Benz doesn’t have too much faith in it, the new Maybach looked a bit sad in a small cabin in a corner of the stand, and no one mentioned the car during the Benz press conference.

Maybach will bring the ‘new’ 62 to the Beijing Auto Show that starts tomorrow. Looking at the quality these pictures leaked from a brochure, got you… Pics show the 62 on several locations around Beijing, photoshopped I guess but the car is real. Changes: a new front with a bigger blingbling grille and leds under the bumper.

The old 62 to compare.

We expected the new car to change to change only a little, but this little… Why bother?

Maybach people buy at Chanel and wait for poor people on foot. Very gentle.

Maybach will debut the new facelifted Maybachs at the Beijing Auto Show later this month. Surprisingly a Maybach without much of a front was spied roadtesting right here in Beijing.

Maybe Maybach wanted to make sure the Maybach could stand Beijing’s sandstorms. The facelifted car doesn’t look very different on the back, the tape just camouflages some minor changes at the lights. Biggest news will ne at the front, that is, if Maybach can find it back.

Source pictures: Sina.com

“Maybach is an important part of Daimler’s product portfolio. There is no other decision”, so a Benz spokesman said to Reuters.

“It’s not true, it’s market speculation. We got calls from the media and we have checked with Chairman Wang”, so a BYD spokesman said  to Reuters. Chairman Wang is Wang Chuanfu, BYD’s boss.

Rumors on a possible buy by BYD of Benzes Maybach brand surfaced earlier this week in the Chinese media and were taken to the outside world by websites as this one.

Can’t say we’re surprised, but an electric MayBYDbach would have been… well… yep!

According to a report on one of China’s largest automotive websites, auto.sina.com, BYD has expressed interest to acquire the Maybach-brand from Mercedes Benz as the Germans will pull the plug in one or two years.

An unmaned BYD official told Sina.com that BYD was very interested in Maybach and would “launch the acquisition” as soon as Benz makes the final decision to quit.

Earlier this month MB and BYD announced a partnership to produce electric vehicles for the Chinese market, so the two are friends already. Still I don’t think Benz will ever consider to sell the Maybach-brand to anyone, let alone to a batterymaker turned carmaker from China.

Hard to say how serious BYD really is, but it is good to see the brand keeps dreaming…

Maybach will reveal its very first facelift on the Beijing Autoshow at the end of April. Updates ain’t many and focussed on the front: a slightly bigger grille, new headlights and a more sporty lower air intake. And!, engines will now be Euro V compliant. Power output will remain as it is. The new design loox clean but I know one policeman won’t be happy with it.

The debut in Beijing again shows the importance of the Chinese market for luxury car makers, BMW sells more V12 7′s than antwhere in the world, same goes for the A8 W12 and Benz S65 AMG. Chinese don’t buy an S350, they want the best and the biggest.