It’s no secret that for quite some time now, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler has just about had it with Maybach and is looking to either shut down the über luxury car brand and call it a day or partner up with British sports carmaker Aston Martin on the development of a new model.
According to a report from Autoweek, the time has come for the German carmaker to make a final decision with the fate of Maybach to be decided by July 1. At a recent press event in Stuttgart, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told journalist that "there is a higher likelihood to come to a positive decision" for Maybach if the company can find a partner. Up until now, the only automaker that has showed interest in working with Daimler on Maybach is Aston Martin.
A potential tie-up could lead to the two companies sharing certain development costs and possibly utilize Aston Martin’s production facilities in Gaydon, England. The British carmaker could in turn gain access to Mercedes-Benz and AMG’s parts bin for its cars.
Daimler revived the Maybach nameplate in 2002 with the company aiming to sell around 1,500 cars annually. However, sales were disappointing with Maybach delivering a mere 200 cars worldwide in 2009 and only around 160 last year.
