Too many billionaires - Every day, China sells 30 Mercedes-Maybachs!

It took several attempts for Mercedes-Benz to get its Maybach series models right, but the latest results show that they have cracked it. Worldwise sales of the company’s most expensive Mercedes-Maybach models increased by 50.7 percent in 2021, reaching 15,730 units.

The Maybach cars are especially popular in China, where the company sells on average more than 900 Maybachs per month. That's about 30 cars per day!

China is Mercedes-Benz’s most important market, contributing 36 percent of the company’s sales.

Mercedes-Benz did not say what was China’s contribution to Maybach’s overall sales, but said strong demand in China was the main reason why 2021 Maybach sales grew by more than half from the year before.

To buyers in the West (or even Malaysia), an S-Class is seen as a flagship sedan while a Maybach is typically reserved for royalties.

However in China, an S-Class is considered among business circles to be the minimum acceptable business car.

This is also why China sells more S-Class than any other country, contributing 35.5 percent of the world’s total S-Class sales (87,064 units, up 40 percent from 2021).

To the mainland Chinese, a businessman (or woman) who travels in an E-Class must be having cashflow problem, while the one in a C-Class is going to out of business soon!

It is against this peculiar cultural backdrop that Maybach models are seeing such high demand in China.

Apart from China, Maybach is also very popular in Korea, which now Mercedes-Benz’s fifth largest market in the world, after China, USA, Germany, and the UK.

Mercedes-Benz now sells two Maybach models, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and Mercedes-Maybach GLS. The company will be adding an electric Maybach EQS soon, but despite sharing the EQS name, will be an SUV moulded in the spirit of the GLS.

The latest generation Maybach is not yet launched in Malaysia but previous X222 generation Maybach S-Class was sold at upwards of RM 1.4 million.

The Z223 Maybach S-Class is sold with two engine options, a 48V mild-hybrid 4.0-litre V8 that makes 370 PS and 700 Nm, aided by a 20 PS EQ Boost motor (S580); or a 6.0-litre V12 that makes 612 PS and 900 Nm (S680).

Among the many highlights of the Maybach S-Class, are its automatic opening and closing rear doors (when equipped with Comfort Rear Doors option), which can be activated by either a touch of a button near the grip handle on the roof, or hand gesture.

As for the Maybach GLS, it’s only available with mild 48V mild-hybrid 4.0-litre V8 (GLS 600), tuned to make 558 PS and 730 Nm, aided by a 22 PS EQ Boost.