Daimler to Revive Maybach, Pullman Names?

Daimler AG plans to revive its Maybach ultra-luxury name late this year in the form of a special limousine version of its flagship S-Class sedan, according to Reuters.

The news service cites an unidentified source who says the new model will be introduced in November at auto shows in Guangzhou and Los Angeles.

Daimler reintroduced the Maybach brand in 2002, predicting it would sell about 1,500 cars per year. But annual sales were less than one-third that volume, and Daimler halted production of the €345,000-plus car last year. News reports at the time said the company was considering attaching the Maybach name to its existing S-Class.

Reuters says the Maybach S will have a wheelbase 20 cm longer than the current extended-wheelbase S-Class. Daimler also is developing an even longer Mercedes Pullman with a wheelbase a meter longer than the S-Class, according to the news service.

The Pullman will revive a name dating to the 1960s, when Daimler debuted a 6-meter-long armor plated car capable of reaching 200 kph. The car was favored by several despots, earning it the nickname "dictator ship."