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car Introduction May very well be a star-studded affair. From stunning place, and fancy dinners for celebrities, automakers spend tens of millions introducing a brand new mannequin. Nevertheless, some automakers have been identified to take issues to supernatural ranges. Take the introduction of the Maybach luxurious sedan in 2002.
When Mercedes-Benz determined to ditch its Maybach nameplate for a brand new ultra-luxury automotive, it was an formidable feat. Right here the German luxurious automaker was trying to go after names like Bentley and Rolls-Royce, which had not been seen on an car because the finish of World Battle II.
When the automotive was lastly unveiled to the world in 2002, Mercedes pulled out all of the stops to current the automotive. As a substitute of holding an enormous introduction within the automaker's homeland of Germany, Mercedes determined to introduce the brand new Maybach to the world in New York Metropolis.
Your complete introduction started throughout the pond. An occasion referred to as the “Maybach Roll-Out” was held at a facility in Southampton, England the place a Maybach 62 rolled out and drove in direction of the port. From there, the 62 was positioned in a specifically designed clear show case. Then the case and the Maybach had been lifted and positioned On the primary deck of the Queen Elizabeth 2 transatlantic liner, sure for New York Metropolis. It remained there all through the journey. In the meantime, Mercedes executives stayed in luxurious suites onboard the automotive.
As soon as the QE2 arrived in New York Harbor, the fanfare started. Fireboats with geysers had been spraying streams of water because the ship moved ahead. Whereas folks throughout the port and about 2,000 folks on board watched, the crew ready the case for the Maybach to be lifted off the deck by a cargo helicopter. As soon as the cargo helicopter picked up the case, an enormous tarpaulin with the Maybach brand flew into the air from beneath the case; Tarpaulins had been laid out like a purple carpet and the Maybach and its case had been hoisted throughout the harbor by helicopter. Maybach 62 was formally in America
From there, you could possibly have sworn the Pope was visiting. Flanked by paparazzi and a police escort that wouldn't look misplaced for a world chief, the Maybach 62 was pushed via the streets of New York on a 12-mile journey from New York Harbor to Wall Avenue. It was actually carried into the Regent Lodge and over the turnstiles for its official introduction amid the applause of a whole lot of individuals and the blaring of cameras. This was actually loopy nonsense.
Nevertheless finally all of it proved to be in useless because the Maybach was a flop. From 2003, a number of hundred started to be bought per yr. Nevertheless, the Nice Recession made issues even worse and by 2009, gross sales within the US had dropped to lower than 100 per yr. In the meantime, Rolls and Bentley had been having fun with growing market share. However regardless of refreshed and totally different variations just like the Zeppelin and Landaulets, Mercedes discontinued the Maybach in 2013.
However it solely took a number of years for Mercedes to take what the model ought to have completed first: create a Maybach. A trim of the S-Class, As of 2015, Maybach trims of the W222 S-Class had been being supplied on the manufacturing unit (the Maybach has additionally been transformed right into a full-fledged Maybach). luxurious attire manufacturers, Sadly although, its launch lacked the fanfare of its predecessor. We'll probably by no means see such an elaborate automotive introduction once more.