No demand for Maybach in Romania

The richest men in Romania are not rushing to buy the “trendiest” deluxe car available on the international market this year. At least this is what the representatives of Autorom, official importer of DaimlerChrysler in Romania, say.
“We have not had any orders for this car so far, so the two Maybach models, 57 and 62 will be brought in Romania only when we get orders for them,” Autorom says.
It seems the $400,000 price tag for such a model is quite an obstacle. The Romanian market is now seeing a high demand for “cheaper” models, that is those costing above 100,000 euros and offered by various carmakers such as Mercedes’ S-Klasse or BMW’s 7 Series. The first Maserati showroom is set to open in Bucharest next year; this is yet another brand that comes with a price tag of about 100,000 euros per vehicle.
The lack of orders, however, does not necessarily mean no Maybach will roam Romania’s roads. The Maybach to be seen in Romania will probably be the one of Ion tiriac, Autorom’s owner, who will get such a car from the German maker.
So how can someone become eligible for a Maybach?
Those interested in ordering one of the two Maybach models will have to go through several preliminary stages. An assessment chart will be drawn up for each applicant and then sent to the Centre for Excellence in Stuttgart. Maybach is not available to just anybody: if the assessment does not meet its criteria, Daimler-Chrysler may reject the application. “As soon as the checking is done, the customers have to make a 50,000 euro down payment. They will be invited to Stuttgart next to personalise their car with the help of a virtual programme,” the Autorom representatives say. Although it is unlikely that clients might change their minds at this point, they will get their money back, though.
“In case the clients want to order the car in question, they have to wait for one to three years to get it,” the Autorom officials said. Maybach is a most exclusive and luxurious car, with no more than 1,500 units to be sold every year.