Aston Martin and Maybach May Collaborate on Concept

Just the Facts:

• The British sports car maker pitches a joint luxury-car project as Daimler's ultra-luxury brand faces tough questions about its survival.
• Little is known about the proposed collaboration, which may involve one or two luxury vehicles.
• Aston Martin may not have deep enough pockets to fund its proposed Lagonda luxury crossover, while Daimler may not want to continue devoting so many resources to — and losing money on — its ill-starred Maybach brand.

STUTTGART, Germany — Aston Martin reportedly has approached Maybach, the slow-selling ultra-luxury brand of German auto giant Daimler, about a potential collaboration on one or two luxury concepts, including a project that could debut this fall at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show.

According to Britain's Autocar, such a move "could signal an impending partnership between Aston and Mercedes-Benz."

Maybach has been singularly unsuccessful at selling its big 57 and 62 sedans, which are based on the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class and haven't changed appreciably since their launch in 2002.

The Maybach brand is named for the late Wilhelm Maybach, an engineer and early partner of Gottlieb Daimler whose firm later designed engines for Zeppelin airships and Panzer tanks, as well as its own line of prewar luxury cars.

There has been considerable debate and speculation in the German press in recent months about Daimler's willingness to continue funding development of new Maybach models, considering the brand's dismal sales and failure to present much of a challenge to such long-established — and now German-owned — ultra-luxury British brands as Rolls-Royce (BMW) and Bentley (Volkswagen).

Aston Martin meanwhile initiated its own modest attempt to break into the upper ranks two years ago with the debut of its Lagonda concept crossover at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, but executives have indicated they would not likely proceed to production without a development partner.

According to Autocar, Aston would bring its expertise in handcrafted premium interiors to a potential alliance with Maybach. But it's not clear which firm would handle exterior design — nor even if such a partnership will even fly.

Surprisingly, such a collaboration between British and German luxury marques is not without precedent. In fact, Daimler's founder set the pattern more than a century ago.

The Daimler Motor Company was established in Coventry in 1896 as the British licensee of the German automaker. It was then acquired in 1910 by the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), which eventually sold the rights to Jaguar in 1960. Jaguar's old Browns Lane headquarters outside Coventry was purchased from Daimler in 1951, nearly a decade before Jaguar acquired the brand itself. Jaguar still owns the rights to the Daimler name, which it used for years on top-of-the-line luxury models in the U.K.

Inside Line says: Aficionados and automotive historians know the British company is pronounced DAME-ler, not DIME-ler like its German namesake.