Mercedes Selling As Many Maybachs In China Each Month As It Used To Sell Globally In A Year

As the world’s largest market for the S-Class, China has an enormous appetite for Mercedes-Maybachs as well. The automaker is selling about 500 units of the range-topping S-Class every month in China, which is almost as many as it used to sell worldwide in a year back when Maybach was a standalone brand.

Obviously, the comparison isn’t entirely fair, because the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class starts at about 1.44 million yuan ($230,000) in China, compared to the Maybach 57 which was priced from about $350,000 in 2003. That was the best year for Maybach in the People’s Republic, with sales of 600 units.

The automaker started selling the Mercedes-Maybach S500 and S600 in China in February to chase affluent buyers who are in the market for a Rolls-Royce or Bentley. Compared to the standard S-Class, the Maybach versions offer more legroom and luxury options.

Mercedes-Benz promotes the Maybach S-Class the country as “the premier choice of China’s modern-day luminaries as they show their utmost respect to the world.” The Maybach models are expected to help Mercedes-Benz catch up with BMW and Audi in the world’s largest car market.

The carmaker needs strong growth in China to achieve its goal of overtaking BMW and Audi in global sales by the end of the decade. The country is also a key market for profit margins because of the high numbers of top-of-the-line vehicles sold there.

Story references: Bloomberg