LUXURY CARS

          “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Rolls-Royce Phantom IV (1950–1956)

A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and status relative to regular cars for an increased price.

The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the brand image of its manufacturer. Luxury brands rank above premium brands, though there is no fixed demarcation between the two.

Traditionally, most luxury cars were large vehicles, though smaller sports-oriented models were always produced. “Compact“ luxury vehicles such as hatchbacks, and off-road capable sport utility vehicles, are relatively modern trends.

CONTENT

• 1Brands

• 2Market categories
  • 2.1Premium compact / Subcompact executive
  • 2.2Compact executive / compact luxury
  • 2.3Executive / mid-size luxury
  • 2.4Luxury saloon / full-size luxury sedan
  • 2.5Ultra-luxury
  • 2.6Grand Tourer
    
    • 3Characteristics
      • 3.1Features
      • 3.2Layout and powertrain
      
    
    • • 
        
        
    • 
      

  • Brands

    

    A Duesenberg, "one of the great luxury cars" with custom body by Willoughby
    

    1932 Nash Ambassador, described as "the Duesenberg from Kenosha"^[

    Some auto manufacturers market their luxury models using the same marque as the rest of their line. Others have created a separate marque (e.g. Lexus, launched by Toyota in 1989 or purchased one (e.g. Bentley, by Volkswagen in 1998).

    Occasionally, a luxury car is initially sold under a mainstream marque and is later rebranded under a specific luxury marque (for example the Hyundai's Genesis to Genesis G80 and Citroën DS to DS 5).

    For mass-produced luxury cars, sharing of platforms or components with other models is common, as per modern automotive industry practice.  

    
    

    
    

    

    
    
    

    Carmaker	Sample luxury vehicle brands
    Aston Martin	Aston Martin, Lagonda
    Auburn	Duesenberg, Cord, Auburn
    BMW Group	BMW, Rolls-Royce
    Bufori	Bufori
    Chrysler Corporation	Imperial, Chrysler, DeSoto
    Daimler AG	Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-AMG
    Falcon Motorsports	Falcon Motorsports
    FAW Group	Hongqi
    Ford Motor Company	Lincoln, Continental, Mercury, Merkur, Zephyr
    Geely	Volvo Cars, Lynk & Co, Lotus Cars, Polestar
    General Motors	Buick, Cadillac, LaSalle, Marquette, Oldsmobile, Viking
    Hispano-Suiza	Hispano-Suiza
    Honda	Acura
    Hudson Motor Company	Greater Eight, Italia
    Human Horizons	HiPhi
    Hyundai	Genesis Motor, Equus
    Ideal Team Ventures	Apollo, De Tomaso
    Li Auto	Li Auto
    Lucid Motors	Lucid Motors
    Mahindra Group	Automobili Pininfarina
    Morgan Motor Company	Morgan
    Nash Motor Company	Ambassador, Nash-Healey
    NEVS	SAAB
    NAMI	Aurus
    NIO	NIO
    Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance	Infiniti, Alpine
    Stellantis	DS, Alfa Romeo, Maserati
    Studebaker	Packard
    Tata Motors	Jaguar Cars, Land Rover, Daimler, Lanchester, Rover
    Tesla	Tesla
    Toyota	Lexus, Crown, Century
    Wanxiang	Karma Automotive
    Volkswagen	Audi AG, Bentley, Bugatti, Horch, Porsche, Wanderer
    Great Wall Motors	WEY

    
    

    Market categories

    Premium compact / Subcompact executive

    The premium compact class is the category of the smallest luxury cars. It became popular in the mid-2000s, when European manufacturers— such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz— introduced new entry-level models that were smaller and cheaper than their compact executive models.

    Examples include the Acura ILX, Mini Clubman, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Audi A3, Mercedes GLA, Mini Countryman, Audi Q3, BMW X2, Buick Verano, BMW 1 Series, BMW 2 Series, Lexus CT 200h, Infiniti Q30, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Volvo C30, Volvo V40, and BMW i3. Premium compacts compete with well-equipped mid-size cars, and highly optioned premium compact cars can have pricing and features that overlaps with compact executive cars.

    • 

      Mercedes-Benz A-Class
      (2018–present)

     
    • 

      Lexus CT 200h
      (2011–present)

     
    • 

      Infiniti Q30
      (2015–2019)

    Compact executive / compact luxury

    
    

    A compact executive car is a premium car smaller than an executive car. In European classification, compact executive cars are part of the D-segment. In North American terms, close equivalents are "compact premium car", "compact luxury car", "entry-level luxury car" and "near-luxury car".

    • 

      Mercedes-Benz C-Class (2015-present)

     
    • 

      Alfa Romeo Giulia
      (2015–present)

     
    • 

      Infiniti Q50
      (2013–present)

    Executive / mid-size luxury

    
    

    Executive car is a British term for an automobile larger than a large family car. In official use, the term is adopted by Euro NCAP, a European organization founded to test for car safety. It is a passenger car classification defined by the European Commission.

    • 

      Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2017-present)

     
    • 

      Genesis G80 (2016–present)

     
    • 

      Jaguar XF (2015–present)

    Luxury saloon / full-size luxury sedan

    
    

    The next category of luxury cars is known in Great Britain as a luxury saloon or luxury limousine, and is known in the United States as a full-size luxury sedan, large luxury sedan or flagship sedan. It is the equivalent of the European F-segment and German Oberklasse segment.

    Many of these luxury saloons are the flagship for the marque and therefore include the newest automotive technology. Several models are available in long-wheelbase versions, which provide additional rear legroom and often a higher level of standard features.

    Examples of luxury saloons / full-size luxury sedans include the BMW 7 Series,Jaguar XJ, Cadillac CT6.Genesis G90, Audi A8, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Lexus LS, and Maserati Quattroporte.

    • 

      Mercedes-Benz S-Class
      (2013–present)

     
    • 

      BMW 7 Series
      (2015–present)

     
    • 

      Maserati Quattroporte
      (2013–present)

     
    • 

      Lexus LS 500h
      (2017–present)

    Ultra-luxury

    Luxury cars costing over US$100,000 (as of 2007) can be considered as "ultra-luxury cars". Examples include the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Maybach 57, Bentley Mulsanne, Aurus Senat, Hongqi L5, and Toyota Century. High-end sports cars which are targeted towards performance rather than luxury are not usually classified as ultra-luxury cars, even when their cost is greater than US$100,000. The history of a brand and the exclusivity of a particular model can result in price premiums compared to luxury cars with similar features from less prestigious manufacturers.

    • 

      Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII
      (2017–present)

     
    • 

      Bentley Flying Spur
      (2019–present)

     
    • 

      Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
      (2015–present)

     
    • 

      Toyota Century
      (2018–present)

    Grand Tourer

    Grand-Touring cars are a type of sports-car designed for long distance travelling. They often combine luxury and performance elements. Examples of Grand Tourers are the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, the Bentley Continental GT and Mercedes-AMG S-Class Coupe. Grand Tourers may or may not be Convertibles. Similarly to Ultra-luxury cars, Grand Tourers often have significant price premiums when sold by a well-known brand. Grand Tourers tend to be more expensive than their Limousine counterparts.

    • 

      Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe (2015-2019)

     
    • 

      Aston Martin DBS Superleggera (2018-present)

     
    • 

      Bentley Continental GT V8 (2003-present)

    Luxury SUV/Crossover

    

    Jeep Wagoneer (1986–1991)

    

    Lincoln Navigator (2018–present)

    

    Range Rover (2012-present)

    

    Porsche Cayenne (2018-present)

    Long before the luxury SUV segment became popular in the 1990s, the vehicle in this segment was the 1966 Jeep Super Wagoneer, which was marketed at the time as a station wagon. It was the first off-road SUV to offer a V8 engine and automatic transmission along with luxury car trim and equipment. Standard features included bucket seating, a center console, air conditioning, seven-position tilt steering wheel, a vinyl roof, and gold colored trim panels on the body sides and tailgate. By the late 1970s, optional equipment included an electric sunroof, The 1978 Jeep Wagoneer Limited was the spiritual successor to the Super Wagoneer and was the first four-wheel drive car to use leather upholstery.

    Another precursor to the luxury SUV, is the Range Rover, which was released in 1970. It was the first road-going vehicle to that combiled a permanent four-wheel drive system with a split tailgate as well as a clamshell bonnet and continuous waistline. The Range Rover had long-travel coil spring suspension and an aluminium V8 engine. Development of the Range Rover began in 1951.

    In the mid 1990s, the SUV market expanded with new entrants. By the mid-1990s, the entry-level Ford Explorer and upscale Jeep Grand Cherokee were the market leaders for SUVs.The fastest growing sector of this market was for the so-called luxury SUVs, which included the Jeep Grand Cherokee ... the Grand Cherokee's allure: "This vehicle is proof you can have a true off-road vehicle without giving up luxuries and amenities" with the Jeep providing a crucial new intangible factor for buyers—image

    The SUV models generated higher profit-margins than passenger cars, and car manufacturers began introducing new luxury SUVs during the late 1990s.^[69] SUVs such as the 1995 Lexus LX, 1997 Mercedes-Benz M-Class and 1998 Lincoln Navigator were the first SUVs produced by these luxury car brands. Some of these early luxury SUV models used a unibody construction, becoming part of the trend moving away from the body-on-frame construction traditionally used by off-road vehicles.

    During the mid-2000s, SUVs from luxury car brands grew at almost 40 percent in the United States to more than 430,000 vehicles (excluding SUV-only brands like Hummer and Land Rover), at a time when luxury car sales suffered a 1% decline, and non-luxury SUV sales were flat. By 2004, 30 percent of major luxury brands' U.S. sales were SUVs. Crossover SUVs became increasingly popular in the mid-2000s, and manufacturers also began to produce luxury versions of crossovers. The Lexus RX was the earliest luxury crossover on the market, and it has since been the best-selling luxury vehicle in the US. Some luxury crossovers are built on a platform shared with sedans or hatchbacks, for example the Infiniti FX is based upon the same platform as the Infiniti G35 sedans and coupes. While early luxury crossovers released in the late 1990s have resembled traditional boxy SUVs, later crossovers, such as the Infiniti FX and BMW X6, have been designed with a sporting appearance.

    Despite the increased popularity of crossover models, luxury versions of traditional SUVs remain in production, often being badge-engineered versions of their non-luxury SUVs. Examples include the Lexus LX, Infiniti QX80, and Lincoln Navigator, which are the premium versions of the Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrol, and Ford Expedition respectively.

    Research data from the mid-2000s suggested that luxury SUV buyers did not consider traditional luxury cars (e.g. sedans and coupes), therefore the SUV is becoming the key to bringing new customers to the luxury dealerships.

    
    

    
    

    Characteristics

    

    Hispano-Suiza J12 Kellner Pillarless Sedan

    Features

    Luxury cars have traditionally emphasized higher levels comfort and safety, with manufacturers often introducing new safety technologies and comfort amenities on luxury models before they trickle down to mass-market models. Numerous "smart car" features were found on luxury cars as early as 2009.

    Luxury vehicles can be a status symbol for conspicuous consumption;however many European luxury car buyers shy away from conspicuous consumption, therefore brands offer buyers the option of removing exterior badges that identify the model name or engine size.

    The suspension system of most luxury cars is tuned to prioritise ride quality over handling, however some cars are marketed as "sports luxury" and have greater emphasis on handling characteristics.

    Layout and powertrain

    

    Bentley Continental GT

    Traditionally, luxury cars have used a front-engine, rear-wheel drive (FR) layout. The FR layout is more expensive to produce and produces lower fuel economy than a front-wheel drive layout, however it allows for larger engines (particularly straight-six, V8, and V12) to be used. Since the introduction of the Bentley Continental GT in 2003, an increasing number of luxury cars have used all-wheel drive.

    Many American luxury cars from the 1970s to the 1990s switched to a front-wheel drive layout with transverse engine, due to the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 and the 1979 fuel crises which eliminated many FR platforms in favor of the more economical front-wheel drive (FF) layout. From the early 2000s, several of these American luxury cars reverted to FR layouts.