Maybach Super Luxury Sedan Receives American Academy of Hospitality Sciences' 'Five Star Diamond Award' For Second Consecutive Year

MONTVALE, N.J., July 22 -- Maybach, the first-ever automobile recipient of the "Five Star Diamond Award" presented by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) in 2003, has now been chosen for the second consecutive year. The Maybach was named "Automobile of the Century" by the AAHS based on the tradition of excellence and continued high standards under the World Renowned Products category, which also includes the famed "Christina O" as the Most Prestigious and Exclusive Private Yacht.

In the past, this prestigious award has been reserved for the world's top luxury hotels and restaurants such as China World Hotel, Beijing; George V Four Seasons, Paris; Cafe L'Europe, Palm Beach; and Jean Georges, New York.

Maybach, a sister brand to Mercedes-Benz, has been widely acclaimed since its introduction last spring and has been called "simply the finest, most spectacular, most technologically advanced, best-performing four-door passenger vehicle that has ever lightly dented the planet's surface" (Car and Driver, January, 2003). The 2004 Maybach 57 and Maybach 62 super-luxury sedans blend 21st-century technology and innovation with classic hand craftsmanship and attention to detail in ways not possible in conventional mass production. Designed to drive like a private luxury jet for the road, its 543-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V-12 engine produces a massive 664 lb.-ft. of peak torque and will accelerate this large luxury automobile from 0-60 mph in just over five seconds -- and in utter silence.

About Mercedes-Benz USA

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. In 2003, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 218,717 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving ten consecutive years of sales growth. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at http://www.mbusa.com/ and http://www.maybachusa.com/.

About American Academy of Hospitality Sciences

The American Academy of Hospitality Services is governed by a Board of internationally renowned trustees which oversees the decision to recognize establishments and organizations worldwide for their outstanding commitment to hospitality within their category and classification. After a final selection is made, the Academy's Board of Trustees votes upon nominations to determine whether the establishments are entitled to The Academy's prestigious Star Diamond Award. The Academy was formed in 1989 as an offspring of a restaurant- rating bureau, founded in 1949.