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Luxury Reigns
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| 2003 Auto Shows Highlight Luxury Debuts |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:19:34 |
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 118 ( -18 -15.25% ) | | Author | Tara Baukus Mello |
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Description:
The United States economy is struggling. Americans are faced with investment portfolios at an all-time low and many are expressing concerns about retirement or paying for their kids' college education.
Yet with all this concern about money, it seems there are more luxury vehicles on the market than ever. Big sedans, sporty coupes and even supremely luxurious SUVs are all on the scene.
Automakers rolled out 14 luxury vehicles headed for production at the 2003 Los Angeles and Detroit Auto Shows. Nearly every luxury brand was represented with estimated sticker prices starting in the high-$20,000-range to the low-$30,000-range for the entry-level BMW 330i Sport and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class sport models and going into the $300,000-range for ultra-luxury marques like the Rolls-Royce Phantom and DaimlerChrysler's new Maybach.
Have automakers lost their minds? Just the opposite. They are responding to an ever-increasing demand for luxury automobiles. After all, who wouldn't want to be comfortable when the average American spends 73 minutes a day in traffic?
Pass the Grey Poupon and let's hit the road for a look at the latest luxe entries.
QA: Joyride!
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Features
Photo Gallery:
Detroit
Los Angeles
The Lucky Seven
Our Best Bets for Success
Designer Vehicles
New vehicles Take Aim at Low-Volume Markets
Truck Wars
No Longer a Civil War
Lux-o-mite!
Have automakers lost their minds?
Chicago Headlines
Chicago's not the place to showcase fuel economy
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Minivans and super sedans
Toyota's big truck, Suzuki's big move and the VW GTI
Detroit Headlines
Nissan Titan, GM's Big Day
Mustang's
Back, Nissan on a Quest
Luxury,
Performance and Utility
F-150,
Endeavor and FX45
Maybach,
VW and Aston Martin
Fantasy
and Practicality
General Motors Dominates Final Day
North American Car and Truck of the Year:
Mini Cooper/S
Volvo XC90
LA Headlines
Toyota's Scion launches the xA, xB.
Debuts and Previews
Future Drivers
The Future World of Cars, according to teenagers...find out what car they think President George W. Bush should drive.
Sound Off!
What is a Scion, anyway? And why is Pontiac debuting a GTO when fuel economy's the thing? Click here and register you opinion!
Entry-Level Luxury Cars
While the entry-level luxury segment is brimming with vehicles, the new direction is to pump up the performance side of these vehicles. In an effort to plug the hole left by the M3 sedan last seen in the BMW line-up in 1997, BMW unveiled a performance package for its 330i.
Priced at $3,900, the new package features engine modifications that boost the 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine by 10 horsepower and provide quicker throttle response while being mated to a new six-speed manual transmission (standard on all 330s beginning with March 2003 production). New 18-inch wheels paired with performance tires complement the M sport suspension, while unique M body components and exterior trim give the performance package a distinct look.
Mercedes-Benz has beefed up its C-Class line with three new sport models---the C230 Kompressor sport sedan, C320 sport sedan and sport coupe. The new C-Class sport models feature sport-tuned suspension, 17-inch wheels with high-performance tires, sport body cladding, aluminum interior trim and sport front seats. A supercharged 189 horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder powers the Kompressor, while a 215 horsepower, 3.2-liter V-6 is featured in the sport coupe and sedan models. All models utilize a six-speed manual transmission.
Luxury Cars
Americans appetite for luxury has yet to be satiated despite the ever-expanding number of luxury automobiles on the market. Six new entries bowed at the Los Angeles and Detroit Auto Shows and buyers are likely to be clamoring for all when they arrive in showrooms later this year.
In the hardtop convertible arena, Ford introduced a supercharged version of its Thunderbird, while Cadillac pulled the wraps off its XLR. Nearly every body panel was massaged to give Ford's supercharged T-bird a distinct look. Presented as a concept, this T-bird is likely to be part of Ford's Living Legends line. Powered by a 390 horsepower, 3.9-liter supercharged V-8, the special Thunderbird was created to gauge the public's interest in performance-version of this icon. As the flagship, the 2004 Cadillac XLR will feature a retractable hardtop and a luxurious interior accented by eucalyptus wood and aluminum accents. A 315 horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8 engine, will power the rear-wheel drive roadster.
The most popular model in the luxury segment is the sedan and both Audi and Jaguar unveiled new models in their line-up. The Audi A8 L is a long-wheelbase version of the A8, stretched five inches in the rear. Powered by the 330 horsepower, 4.2-liter V-8 engine, the A8 L's focus is on comfort and convenience features. Front seats are ergonomic power and feature optional massage, heating and ventilation functions, while the four-zone climate control features separate rear seat settings. New technological advances include an electro-mechanical parking brake with starting assistant and Audi's Multi-Media Interface (MMI), an electronic device that operates audio, climate, navigation and ride settings.
Since 1968, the XJ has proudly represented the Jaguar brand and now the 2004 model takes its place as the most technologically advanced Jaguar ever built. The all-aluminum monocoque provides significant weight savings, thereby improving both performance and handling. The new 390 horsepower, 4.2-liter supercharged V8 powers the XJ from 0-60 mph in just five seconds, while the base engine, a 294 horsepower normally-aspirated version of the 4.2-liter provides 0-60 mph acceleration in 6.3 seconds.
Last Year's
Highlights
It was a year to take notice for even the most non-enthusiastic car shopper. A show season of landmark debuts and
promising previews, with very few boring cars sweating under the showroom lights. From the controversial BMW
7-Series to the Nissan 350Z, the Ford GT-40 and the Toyota Corolla, automakers put on a show that will be hard to beat in 2003...
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2003 Chicago
Gallery
More Show Photos...
The increased interior space includes five inches of rear seat legroom and a trunk that can now hold four bags of golf clubs.
Rounding out the new luxury car introductions is a wagon---the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon, available in both all-wheel-drive and sport versions. Slightly longer and wider than its predecessor, the 2004 E-Class Wagon features the new Easy-Pack system, which includes a fold-flat rear bench seat and an optional, hydraulically controlled loading floor for ease in loading heavy items. The sport version of the wagon has sport body styling, 17-inch wheels, bi-Xenon headlights, blue-tinted glass and LED brake lights.
Luxury SUVs
The concept of luxury and sport utility in one vehicle is undoubtedly an oxymoron, yet it is just this combination that has proved so successful in the American market. Two automakers, Cadillac and Porsche, stepped in with two more entries, both available by mid-2003. Joining the Escalade in the Cadillac stable is the medium-size SUV, the SRX. Powered by either a 260 horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 or a 315 horsepower, 4.6-liter V8 engine, the SRX is available in either all-wheel- or rear-wheel-drive and seats seven passengers with the optional third row seat. While the SRX offers the largest sunroof in the segment, the optional UltraView roof provides the ultimate sunroof---five square feet of open air over the first and second row seats.
Sports car phenom Porsche has put the "sport" in sport utility vehicle with the introduction of its much-awaited Cayenne. As capable off-road as it is on-road, the new Cayenne features a 340 horsepower, 4.5-liter V8 in its S model and a 450 horsepower, 4.5-liter V8 in its Turbo model. The five-seater was designed with families in mind and offers the utmost in luxurious comfort with 19 cubic feet of cargo storage and 7,700 pounds of towing capacity. The self-leveling chassis has six different ride heights depending on speed and terrain, including water-crossing capability at depths of nearly two feet.
Ultra-Luxury Cars
The world of the ultra-luxury car is the world of high-powered executives, celebrities and other moneyed folk. For the rest of us, these vehicles are the ones we dream about buying---like on the day we hit the lottery. Produced in very limited numbers, these vehicles are the hottest of the hot. This year, more entries have arrived on the scene than ever before, making some wonder if the automakers know something we don't…Perhaps another stock market boom is on the way?
The biggest wow of this year's introductions in this segment was a vehicle that is not even assured for production. The Cadillac Sixteen is the second ultra-luxury concept Cadillac has paraded before the public recently (the V12 Cien roadster was the first) and, judging from its hot reception, this one definitely has an audience. Powered by a 1,000-horsepower V-16 engine, the Sixteen features cylinder deactivation, which shuts down unneeded cylinders to conserve fuel when the car is in "cruise" mode. Styling features include creased aluminum body panels, high wheel arches for its 24-inch wheels and a gull-wing hood, which has dual panels that are raised from one center rod. Inside, the Sixteen is the ultimate in luxury with hand-stitched leather seats, silk carpets, walnut burl inlay trim and crystal accents on the gauges.
The ever-strong luxury player, Mercedes-Benz, has announced the latest vehicle in its SL line, the 2004 SL 600. Joining the V8-powered SL500 and the SL55 AMG models, the SL600 features a 493 horsepower, 5.5-liter V12 engine with dual turbochargers, one for each cylinder bank. Like all Mercedes', the SL600 has an alphabet soup of features to provide optimum performance and handling. Electronic Stability Control (ESP), which reduces skidding, and ABC active suspension, which greatly reduces body roll in cornering, are offered, as are e-Brakes, an electronic brake system which provides a faster response than the driver, particularly in emergency situations. The SL600 retractable hardtop roadster will be available in the U.S. in late summer 2003.
Poised to expand its product line, Aston Martin threw the cover off its AMV8 Vantage concept, which will be the basis for its third vehicle and the most affordable Aston yet. The two-seater will be rear-wheel drive and feature a front mid-mounted 4.3-liter V8 engine, providing a near 50:50 weight distribution. Slated to debut in 2005, the Vantage will be assembled by hand at a new production facility in the United Kingdom. Pricing is likely to be around $100,000, a sharp difference from its current base model, the DB7, which starts at $145,000.
Also hailing from the U.K. is the new Rolls-Royce Phantom, the first entry under the marque's new owners---BMW. Weighing in at a whopping 19-feet, two-inches, this $320,000 masterpiece is clearly a Rolls-Royce, yet a modern interpretation of these classic cars. The long hood is accented by the front wheels, which are placed far forward. A high roofline accentuates the boxy shape, while suicide rear doors (which open from the rear, opposite conventional doors) ease ingress and egress for rear seat passengers. The Phantom, available in spring 2003, is powered by a 453 horsepower, 6.75-liter V12 engine built by BMW.
Competing directly against the Phantom is the Maybach, the new ultra-luxury brand from DaimlerChrysler. Named after Wilhelm Maybach, the designer of the first Mercedes, Maybachs will be sold through special commissioning studios at approximately 80 U.S. Mercedes-Benz dealers. Both models, the 57 and 62 (denoting each vehicle's length in meters), will be powered by a 543 horsepower, twin-turbocharged V12 engine and will feature many of the technological advances from sister brand Mercedes-Benz. Crafted entirely by hand, Maybachs will take four months to build and feature such luxuries as a DVD player, VHF TV tuner, six-disc CD changer, telephone, refrigerator and a special storage system that holds a champagne bottle and two flutes securely.
Story by Tara Baukus Mello
© 2003, Tara Baukus Mello, All Rights Reserved. |
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