Maybach is Mercedes' answer to BMW buying Rolls-Royce, and whomever it was that got Bentley getting Bentley. The Maybach was one of those old-time luxury car lines, like Cord or Dusenberg, but was German. As with many auto manufacturers during WWII Maybach converted to wartime production, & ended up making engines for tanks and submarines. At the end of the war, there was no intelectual property, since they'd been making military parts, and there was no physical property, since they'd been bombed to hell, so they just shut down. Mercedes found themselves out of the ultra-sick billionare toy market, so they aquired the trademark, and started production a couple of years ago. My understanding is that they are based on existing Mercedes designs, (like Inifiniti's are pimped out Nissans) and so share the current quality problems of Mercedes. The reviews I've seen suggest that for what you pay you don't get the quality craftsmanship you get with Bentleys or Rolls-Royce, and it feels quite a bit like just a Mercedes. Of course, I've never seen one since they are only made by special order, so I can't comment from experience.
A quick search of the MB site reveals what I assume to be the twin, which isn't a cheap car in it's own right @ $452,750 base MSRP.
If that's the next Maybach, it's hideous. That can't go to production looking like that... ugly. Otto, the pic you posted above is MB's supercar - the SLR McLaren.
OK 1. Headlights like the Accord 2. Grill of the old 2002 BMW 3. Doors/windows of the Plymouth Prowler UGLY
Yeah, supercars abound... you can always catch one or two on the DNT. I've seen a Ferrari Enzo and Lamborghini Diablo in the past month or two. Somebody in the DFW area also owns a McLaren F1.
My boss has a Maybach....not one of the new ones. He got it two years ago. Ho-hum. I really don't get what the big deal is. (Although I bet Bus-Stop Jessica would love a ride in one.)