LuxuryCar

REPORT: BMW Threatening To Oust Lexus As #1 Luxury Automaker In U.S.

2009 BMW Z4 sDrive35i - Click above for high-res image gallery

Life is hard at the top, whether that precipice happens to be at the top of the overall sales chart or of a specific market niche, such as Lexus' position as the best-selling luxury automaker in the United States. Toyota's Japanese brand has held the top spot since the year 2000, with BMW perpetually trailing in second place. Could 2009 finally be the year that BMW breaks through to number one?

So far this year, BMW's 76,819 total sales in the States puts the German brand slightly ahead of Lexus, which has moved a total of 73,186 units so far in '09. Both brands are down somewhat from 2008, though BMW's 30.5-percent decline is not quite as severe as Lexus' 37.2-percent fall. Neither automaker is interested in boasting of its successes in this market, though BMW will gladly accept the extra market share. Speaking to Automotive News, Jan Ehlen, a spokesman for BMW of North America, said:

This year's emphasis is on maintaining our market share and even growing our share a bit. If this results in remaining in the top spot of the premium market, that would be a nice bonus.

Gallery: Quick Drive: 2009 BMW Z4 sDrive35i

[Source: Automotive News]

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Tags: best selling, best selling luxury automaker, best selling luxury brand, BestSelling, BestSellingLuxuryAutomaker, BestSellingLuxuryBrand, bmw, bmw sales, BmwSales, lexus, lexus sales, LexusSales, luxury car, luxury car sales, luxury cars, LuxuryCar, LuxuryCars, LuxuryCarSales

Top Ten Luxury Cars From Barrett-Jackson 2009

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Events

Click above to see our top ten luxury cars from Barrett-Jackson 2009

The Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction may be best known for the many muscle cars that fill the tents in Scottsdale, AZ, but those in attendance are also welcome to bid on any number of other fine automobiles that pass through the auction block. We found ourselves among the bidders all day on Friday and Saturday, taking pictures and keeping track of each sale so we could compile interesting lists of the various vehicles that were scheduled to change hands, including quite a few beautiful luxury cars. From one-off Buicks to hand-built Rolls Royces, here are a few of our favorites. Note: This list is numbered chronologically in the order they were auctioned.

Gallery: Barrett Jackson 2009: Top Ten Luxury Cars

1942 Lincoln Continental Convertible - $44,000

1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Dual Cowl Touring - $95,700

1931 Cadillac 370 A Town Sedan - $79,200.00

Tags: barrett jackson, barrett jackson 2009, barrett jackson auction, barrett-jackson, barrett-jackson 2009, barrett-jackson2009, BarrettJackson, BarrettJackson2009, BarrettJacksonAuction, luxury car, luxury car auction, luxury cars, LuxuryCar, LuxuryCarAuction, LuxuryCars

Generation Y's Hunger For Luxury Cars

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Generation Y is commonly touted as the generation of entitlement and immediate gratification, and although some might argue it seems luxury car sales and statistics are backing up the "I want it now" trend of young people. BMW's M3, for example, is a car that starts at $54,000, and although that price tag would normally mean an older and wealthier demographic its most popular buyer is in their mid-20s. It seems the young people of today not only want high-end luxury cars but they're stretching themselves and scrimping in other places to have them. Brands across the board are noticing the trend, which in today's economy is a little surprising (and scary!).

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Tags: Generation Y, GenerationY, luxury auto, luxury automobile, luxury car, luxury cars, LuxuryAuto, LuxuryAutomobile, LuxuryCar, LuxuryCars, Y

Autoblog Road Trips With a Bentley Brooklands

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

While I was learning about the world of luxury at the Luxury Summit, John Neff from Autoblog was driving it. Last week he had the experience of driving a 2009 Bentley Brooklands 550 miles to from New Jersey to Cleveland, Ohio where it would be picked up and driven back to Bentley's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI. He had the honor of taking the car for its maiden voyage on U.S. soil. Talk about a road trip.

The car is one of only 550 that will ever be built, there are just two in the United States right now. Our man was cool and collected behind the wheel of a car that costs close to $400,000 with options. His post on Autoblog breaks down all the important details but it's the road trip stories I like such as the fact that a man in a Dodge Caravan followed him for 15 miles into a rest stop and that every tollbooth operator on his journey remarked on the car. If you are paying that much for your wheels, you likely want just that sort of attention. Oh, and be warned, the gas consumption is pricey too, filling the 25-gallon fuel tank with 20 gallons of 93-octane premium gas cost $75, and this is not a car known for its high mileage.

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Tags: autoblog, bentley, bentley brooklands, luxury car, LuxuryCar

Green BMW 7

by Trey Evans (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Soon, ~~hippies~~ people looking to reduce pollution will have an option other than a hybrid or an electric car (which really doesn't reduce pollution, it just moves the source from the car to a power plant). BMW officially announced their hydrogen powered 7 series today and the numbers on it are pretty impressive. It's got a hybrid gas/hydrogen V12 that get 260 horses that can get the ride up to 143 miles an hour. Bimmer says it's the "first hydrogen-drive luxury performance automobile for everyday use." Do any of you readers out there know of another luxury hydrogen car period? Feel free to comment.

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Tags: bwm, hybrid, hydrogen, luxury car, LuxuryCar