As 2012 winds to an end, AutoGuide looks back at all the vehicles that received the axe this year, some that will be missed, while others surely won’t be.

Starting it off is the Acura ZDX, a crossover that had a very tough time breaking into the market. Priced at around $51,815 including delivery, the ZDX was hardly a hot seller for the Japanese automaker, and it’s clear that Acura can’t wait to move forward from it.

Every new auto show brings another exciting round of wild concept cars. But do these ideas ever make it to reality?

Some do, but many don’t – or they’re so “evolved” that you wouldn’t recognize them. As a result, it’s often tough to get excited about these often far-flung concepts.

Originally slated to hit dealerships, historically, many get dropped from the lineup before they ever see the production line. Here are some of the very best concepts, that are now just collecting dust.

Last year in November, Mercedes made the decision to give its ultra-luxury Maybach brand the axe. That day has finally come, as the German automaker confirmed that all Maybach models will be discontinued for the 2013 model year.

So whoever owns the abandoned Maybach 57 might want to go pick it up, since it might become a collectible now. And since it was no surprise that the Maybach brand was finally killed off, the German automaker didn’t even make any sort of formal announcement about it. In fact, a price list of 2013 models were released and it simply just had the word ‘discontinued’ for the Maybach models.

It was inevitable though, as Daimler lost $500,000 for each Maybach sold; and most recently, its dealerships were granted $100,000 in cash rebates to liquidate the remaining inventory.

It’s hard to imagine if you could ever afford a Maybach 57 that you’d just abandon it somewhere, but one owner did just that out on the French Coast.

Undoubtedly there’s a story behind why the half-a-million dollar luxury sedan was left in a parking lot. It appears that the Maybach 57 has been sitting for about four years, gathering plenty of dust, and even some obscene messages from the general public. Someone even took the liberty to take the front emblem off the sedan for themselves.

As nice as the Maybach 57 is, the abandoned Ferrari Enzo is definitely the winner when it comes to cars left for dead. We’re going to assume that something tragic happened to the owner that left the vehicle driverless, or maybe they had to flee the country.

Watch a video of the abandoned Maybach 57 below.

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With Daimler losing almost $500,000 for each Maybach sold, it’s no surprise that the luxury brand has been laid to rest . And now to help move the remaining inventory of 23 models, Maybach dealers have been granted an astonishing $100,000 cash in direct-to-dealer discounts.

As with most direct-to-dealer discounts however, the dealership aren’t required to pass along the entire savings to the car buyer. So those interested in purchasing a Maybach may want to get some more information before dropping close to half a million on a car. But whether you’re purchasing the Type 57 which ranges from $376,300 to $416,200 or the Type 62 which is priced from $427,700 to $467,600, a $100,000 savings is still significant.

It’s no surprise that Daimler is willing to let the remaining Maybach models go as quickly as it can, but buyers beware, surely dealers will be trying to get the most of the last few Maybach’s they have on the lot.

[Source: Forbes]

Car enthusiasts probably cringed during Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Otis” video as the duo mangled a Maybach 57, but the joke seems to be on them now.

The irreverently-altered Maybach was supposed to bring between and estimated $100,000 and $150,000 at auction. That money was meant to go, at least in part, to the Save the Children Charity.

Unfortunately, as the audacious music stars learned, people don’t really like the idea of spending that kind of money on what amounts to a disfigured and outdated Maybach. The car earned $60,000 — an less than a quarter of its original value. While that’s chump change to own an ultra-exclusive Maybach (especially because the company is gone), it’s still a lot to pay for junk.

It’s too bad one of the music moguls didn’t just “give” it to the other as a memento of the video shoot. They could have collectively donated more to the charity without breaking much of a sweat. Heck it wasn’t so long ago that Birdman gave his brother and Lil Wayne Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Mulsanne respectively.

Nonetheless, Save the Children is probably grateful for whatever money it got, regardless of wasted potential. At least it still raised more than Justin Bieber‘s Hyundai Genesis, though even that is questionable considering the Hyundai sold for more than its original MSRP.

You can watch the music video after the break.

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Although Daimler has announced the discontinuation of the Maybach brand, young money ballers, shot-callers now have the opportunity to bid on what’s arguably the most notorious Maybach of all.

Starring in the Jay-Z and Kanye West “Otis” music video, the chopped “Mad Max” Maybach will be put on the block by auction house Phillips de Pury & Co. at the New York Contemporary Art Evening sale on March 8. All proceeds of the Maybach auction will be donated to Save the Children. Previously, this vehicle was also up for auction to benefit the victims of drought in East Africa.

Burning rubber in four-wheel drifts and spitting fire in the process, Rockafella’s insane whip is estimated to raise between $100,000 to $150,000. Considering Jay-Z and Kanye’s handiwork left us with half a car, it seems appropriate for its estimate to be half the value of a Maybach 57 when new.

[Source: Leftlanenews]

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When Mercedes-Benz announced the termination of its superluxury Maybach brand, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said succinctly, “It would not be sensible to develop a successor model for the current Maybach.”

Now we know why. After a seven year stint of Maybach production, the marque has only sold approximately 3,000 units. What’s more, CAR had calculated that Daimler lost an unfathomable $500,000 for each Maybach sold.

With an initial investment of $1.3 billion, Daimler created Maybach to challenge Rolls Royce for hyper-luxury supremacy. However, while Rolls Royce enjoyed record success in China, Maybach had only sold around 200 vehicles in 2011. While the absence of Maybach will be dearly missed by rappers and drug cartels alike, Mercedes-Benz had announced the revival of its Pullman limo by 2013, which should fill the void perfectly.

GALLERY: Maybach

[Source: CAR Magazine]

This year, Mercedes-Benz‘s uber-luxury brand Maybach will go extinct, as the German brand could not see the potential for making a profit in the ultra high-end luxury car segment.

However, that does not mean the brand will vanish off the face of the Earth, thanks to a coach-building company called Xenatec. They take a four-door Maybach 57S and get rid of two of its doors. Since they kept the wheelbase the same as the donor car, they gave it longer doors  and a sleek coupe body to fill in the gap.

Mechanically the car remains standard because Xenatec wanted the car to be servicable by any Maybach dealer around the world. So while you’ll have the standard cars 6.0-liter, twin-turbo, V12 engine that produces 621-hp, you’ll now also have a sportier looking body to travel around in.

And how much would it cost to have this conversion done? It’ll cost as much as the original donor car. A Xenatec 57S Coupe will cost you a cool $940,000. That’s very nearly Bugatti Veyron money.

Despite the stratospheric price tag, Xenatec has sold quite a few of these uber-coupes through their three main distributors; the factory itself in Germany, a dealer in Saudi Arabia and an armor car firm in Russia.

Finding one of these rare exotics would thus be hard, but we have. A Xenatec Coupe is looking for a new home. It is listed for sale at an exotic car dealership in Dubai, U.A.E. According to the advert, it has no mileage on it. While it is sitting at a used exotic car store, the car is still new.

So while you can still get in touch with Xenatec and pay them to build you a coupe out of your donor 57S, a fully finished example is awaiting you in a desert oasis.

Afterall, we at AutoGuide get a fuzzy good feeling by uniting the rich with expensive cars.

GALLERY: Xenatec Coupe

[Source: Alain Class]

In Maybach‘s last full year of sales before the hyper-luxury brand will be shuttered for 2013, Daimler has increased the MSRP of Maybach’s 2012 line-up.

According to the latest pricing updates released by Mercedes-Benz USA, the 2012 Maybach 57 will begin at $379,050, an extra $3,080 over the 2011 model year. The 2012 Maybach 57 S and Maybach 62 will be offered at $418,950 and $430,450 respectively, each a $4,200 premium over last year’s model. Next, a 2012 Maybach 62 S will be starting at $470,350, $4,600 more than the 2011 MSRP. Finally, the top-of-the-line Maybach Landaulet pricing will remain the same as last year at $1,382,750.

A strange move for the German automaker as common practice and conventional economics traditionally dictate lower prices amid waning demand. While Maybach is a made-to-order boutique marque, we suggest prospective customers to keep an eye on Maybach’s slightly more affordable 2011 inventory.

GALLERY: Maybach Line-up

The list of the Top 10 most expensive new cars is even more shocking that you might expect. Released by Forbes, you can forget the Ferrari 458 or the $300,000 Lamborghini Aventador because even at the low end of the scale these models start at right around the one million mark.

In 10th place, at $845,000 is Porsche’s upcoming flagship, the 918 Spyder. When it does arrive later this year, it will come powered by a high-revving V8 engine making more than 500 hp, mated to a plug-in hybrid system that adds over 218 hp. Porsche claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds, with an incredible 78 mpg rating.

Mercedes-Benz‘s Maybach luxury brand will be axed, much to the consternation of rappers (pictured above), athletes and insipid nouveau riche types everywhere.

While Mercedes had high hopes for the brand, Maybach’s sales have slumped to around 200 units annually, whereas targets called for sales of 1,000 cars per year. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told German Newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “It would not be sensible to develop a successor model for the current Maybach.”

Ultra-luxury versions of the next Mercedes-Benz S-Class will replace the Maybach in 2013.

[Source: Automotive News]