Maybach's ultra-luxurious limousines are all based on existing Mercedes models, but there was a time when the company produced its own standalone models. According to a report by Autocar, the Mercedes sub-brand could start making dedicated cars again in the future.

This was suggested by outgoing Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche, who told the publication that Maybach's long-term plan is to "stand on its own two feet, like AMG." As well as offering performance variants of existing models, AMG also produces the GT Coupe, Roadster, and the new Four-Door Coupe, and is also currently developing the highly-anticipated Mercedes-AMG One hypercar.

Zetsche's comments don't give us much to go on, but recent Maybach concepts could give us some clues about the brand's future direction.

The Vision Maybach Ultimate Luxury crossover previewed the next-generation Mercedes GLS, while the lavish Vision Maybach 6 coupe and cabriolet concepts looked sensational. We're praying for Maybach to put them into production.

No timeframe for the bespoke Maybachs was given, but in the meantime Mercedes will continue to "raise volume and credibility" of the sub-brand with more high-end Maybach models based on cars such as the S-Class and GLS. After all, making a business case to put a new standalone model into production may prove difficult after the Maybach 62 and 57 flopped spectacularly.