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Luxury Car Sales Fall

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

So the economy has been taking a hit lately, but as a general rule the highest of high end products haven't really been affected -- apparently those with money up to their ears haven't been feeling the pinch, until now.

Numbers are streaming in from luxury car brands reporting serious sales drops this year from 2007 -- Jaguar sales fell by 52% (whoa!), BMW by 27%, Porsche by 13%, and Land Rover by 17%. Even Ferrari (surprisingly) reported a decline for this past January, although they claim the drop from last year was both planned and expected.

It will be interesting to see what the rest of 2008 brings for the luxury car market.

Tags: auto, autos, BMW, economy, Ferrari, Jaguar, LandRover, luxury cars, LuxuryCars, Porsche, wheels

The Splinter, A Wooden Supercar that's Faster than a Porsche

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Think "wooden car" and images of an old-fashioned toy or model car are more likely to pop into your head than a real-life sleek fast supercar. The Splinter, however, is changing that by not only being a sportscar made of wood that's stylish and sleek but also by being fast -- faster than a Porsche or a Lamborghini.

It's fast partly because of the goodies under the hood and partly because it's just so much lighter than its steel and metal counterparts. Built of a combination of maple, plywood, and MDF it can turn out 700bhp and has a top speed of 240mph. Not too shabby.

There's no price set for this wooden beauty just yet, or color options (I say if you're going to buy a wooden car then don't hide it with a paint job at all), but look for more info as the car is scheduled for release later this year.

Gallery: The Splinter

Tags: auto, car, splinter, the splinter, TheSplinter, wheels, wood, wooden

What Your Expensive Car Says to Your Dates

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

So if you're single chances are you've either got a big date tonight/this weekend, or you wish you did. It's a story lived by millions everyday all over the world who are looking for love. We tend to worry and agonize over what we wear and what we do in an attempt to make the right first impression, but have you ever thought about what the car you drive is saying to those potential dates? From "well-rounded and stylish" to "determined and driven to succeed" it may be telling them a lot before they even get a chance to meet you in person. Check out some of these examples and see if your car is saying what you thought it was.

Gallery: What Your Car Says About You

Audi RS4

Jaguar XF

Mercedes-Benz CL Class

Porsche 911

Lexus RX 350

Tags: automobiles, cars, dating, love, relationships, Valentine, Valentines Day, ValentinesDay, wheels

A Fiat 500 Pepita Painted with 24k Gold and Swarovski Crystals

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Luxury cars are usually about a fast engine, a smooth ride, and extra features for comfort and convenience, but this luxury vehicle is all about the bling. It's a Fiat 500 Pepita and it's all decked out with a 24k gold paint job, Swarovski crystal studded gear shift, hand brake, and foot pedals, cashmere floor mats (cashmere on the floor?!), and gold painted alloy wheels. Plus you get a choice of seats made of crocodile, snake, shark, skate or lizard leather and an assortment of precious gems to add to the interior. €60,000

Gallery: 24k Gold Fiat 500 Pepita

Tags: auto, bling, car, Fiat, fiat 500 pepita, Fiat500Pepita, gold, pepita, swarovski, wheels

Tina Turner's Mercedes-Powered LM002 For Sale

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping

Tina Turner wasn't messing around when she went shopping for a vehicle. In true rock-and-roller style, she opted for a Lamborghini (a LM002 to be exact) and had it retro-fitted and personalized with a Mercedes E500 V8 automatic transmission, a 1500-Watt Blaupunkt stereo, and lots of other aesthetic touches. The big news here is not that Tina Turners owns this vehicle, but that she's selling it. It's currently on the market for ?179,000, and although I'm hardly an expert at appraising vehicles that seems like a pretty good deal.

Gallery: Tina Turner's Mercedes-Powered LM002

Tags: auto, autos, car, celebrity, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Tina Turner, TinaTurner, wheels

The Ferrari F430 Spider Bio Fuel

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Fast high-end sports cars are generally not considered to be eco-friendly, with their gas guzzling turbo engines and energy-sucking luxury features. But that's not to say they aren't trying -- Ferrari for example, revealed their F430 Spider Bio Fuel model earlier this week in Detroit. It burns a mix of 85% natural ethanol and 15% gasoline, which results in +10hp (meaning its got a solid 500hp to work with) and a 5% increase in gas mileage over its gas-only counterpart. As for now the F430 Spider Bio Fuel is only a concept, but Ferrari says they'd like to put it into production as part of their efforts to cut emissions by 40% by the year 2012. Like the looks of it? See more photos here.

Tags: auto, Bio Fuel, BioFuel, car, cars, eco, environment, F430, Ferrari, green, Spider, wheels

iShoes: Speedy and Spendy

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos, Shoes

Finding ways to get around quickly, and greenly, is a popular trend. And, in the case of these interesting iShoes, an expensive one also. iShoes are intended as a way to get from point A to point B faster and easier than by walking. While wearing a pair of iShoes you can buzz along at up to 13 mph for up to 3 miles -- all on the power of a small Lithium-ion battery pack that needs just a couple of hours to charge up.

The iShoes designers have said they are inspired by Apple and Lamborghini, and although I can see the Lamborghini influence (speed) I'm at a loss to see anything "Apple" about these -- am I missing something obvious?

Regardless, if you're interested in getting a pair of iShoes be prepared to shell out a cool $620.

Via Tech Digest

Tags: apple, green, ishoes, shoes, transportation, wheels

Luxury Vehicles: Which Give You the Best Bang for Your Buck?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Although the first thought that comes to mind when thinking "luxury vehicle" is probably not "bargain shopping," that doesn't mean that people with taste and money aren't also looking for a good deal. So besides the obvious value to be found in features like premium leather, a fast engine, a smooth ride, and fancy electronic gadgets, what makes a luxury car a good deal? Forbes recently compiled a list, taking into consideration things like initial cost, dealership service, the complete ownership experience over several years, and depreciate/maintenance costs over the life of the vehicle.

The winner? With its company's legendary service coupled with features that aren't always offered on entry-level luxury vehicles, the Lexus IS250 came out as the #1 best value. See the runners up below:

Gallery: The Best Luxury Cars For Your Buck

#1 The Lexus IS250

#2 The Volvo V70

#3 The Acura TL

#4 The Buick Enclave

#5 The BMW 3-Series

Tags: auto, autos, car, cars, Lexus, wheels

Koenigsegg Limited Edition CCX and CCXR

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Koenigsegg has, due to popular demand, created limited edition versions of its CCX and CCXR cars. And they mean it when they say "limited," as there will be only 14 of the Koenigsegg Edition CCX and 6 of the Koenigsegg Edition CCXR built. Each Edition model gets a boost in performance over their standard counterparts (from 806hp to 888hp for the CCX) and both cars can go from 0-60mph in just 2.9 seconds. If you're seriously interested you better get moving since 2 of each limited edition model has already been sold, and get ready to shell out somewhere between 1,330,000 and 1,500,000 Euros.

Want more photos? Click here.

Tags: auto, autos, car, cars, CCX, CCXR, Koenigsegg, wheels

Keep a Mercedes in the Trunk of Your Mercedes

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Mercedes-Benz is launching a new emissions-free way to travel: the Folding Bike. It's obviously not their first bike, but it it is a unique bike in that it's designed to fold up all handy and fit in your vehicle's trunk in just two swift moves. Designed to be folded not only quickly but also cleanly (no grease or dirt on your hands!) and measuring just 800x800x220mm, it will not only take up practically no space in your garage but will fit comfortably in the boot of your Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet -- ready for a quick ride anytime. Available in April 2008.

Gallery: The Mercedes-Benz Folding Bike

Tags: bicycle, bike, Green, mercedes, mercedes benz, mercedes-benz, MercedesBenz, ride, transportation, wheels

Simon Cowell Picks Up A Bugatti Veyron

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping

Simon Cowell blew some serious cash on some serious wheels recently when he had some spare time on his hands (and apparently some spare cash) due to a week off work for the Rugby World Cup. He dropped over £1,000,000 in LA on two new cars: a £750,000 Bugatti Veyron and a £400,000 Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

Somehow this doesn't surprise me. Simon Cowell hardly seems to shy away from flash and attention, and although fast cars don't necessarily mean an ego problem (I would love to have a Veyron myself!) I think in his case they might!

Tags: auto, automobile, automobiles, autos, bugatti, bugatti veyron, BugattiVeyron, car, cars, cowell, ferrari, phantom, phantom coupe, PhantomCoupe, rolls royce, RollsRoyce, simon cowell, SimonCowell, veyron, wheels

The Colorless Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

I love a shiny red sports car as much as the next person, but here's something completely different: how about getting a new Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang and passing on the paint job altogether? The colorless design ends up two-toned, and highlights both the functionality and artistic beauty of the vehicle. The dark carbonfiber down the center covers the W16 engine, passenger cell, crash box, and linkages to the wheels while the shinier aluminum sides give the car its sleek shape and silhouette. The car will be available in limited edition for about 1.4m euros.

So what do you think? I love it.

Tags: auto, automobiles, bugatti, bugatti veyron, BugattiVeyron, car, cars, pur sang, PurSang, veyron, wheels

The Latest High-Tech Amenities For Luxury Cars

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Remember when getting a CD player in your car meant an upgrade package? These days it's almost impossible to find a car that doesn't come with one standard. And extras that used to only be available on luxury cars, like heated leather seats and GPS, are now available for reasonable prices on much more economical car brands. So this leaves the luxury car companies hustling to come up with the latest and baddest technology to set their cars apart from the masses. So what are they coming up with? Some good stuff:

Night vision A small dashboard screen shows the driver thermal imaging of people, animals, and other heated objects in the area.
Broadcast TV, because regular 'ol DVDs just aren't good enough.
Brand name sound systems including names like Mark Levinson, Bang & Olufsen, and Bose.
Spa seating, which means cooled seats in the summer (and of course heated in the winter), seats that recline with pop-up footrests, and built-in shiatsu massagers.
HD Radio Suddenly your local radio stations can sound as crisp and clear as your CDs or your satellite radio favorites.
Smart warning systems, which include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, blind spot warnings, and collision warnings.

Tags: amenities, automobiles, autos, car, cars, extras, luxury, vehicle, vehicles, wheels

1927 Baby Bugatti Coaster Car Replica

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Based on a real Baby Bugatti purchased at auction, Authentic Model's reproduction was made to the exact scale of the original and comes loaded with all the bells and whistles one would expect on a 1927 plaything for the rich and famous. Except the battery-powered electric engine and wiring, of course. You'll need to obtain that on your own before you can power around in the height of Gatsby-style luxury. The coaster features handmade aluminum coachwork and frame, cast aluminum wheels and leather bonnet straps and seat. The radiator is chrome-finished bronze and the brakes and gears are included. $4,000.

Tags: 1927 car, 1927Car, authentic reproductions, AuthenticReproductions, automobile, baby, battery powered car, BatteryPoweredCar, bugatti, car, coaster, gatsby, pedal car, PedalCar, wheels

BMW Welt. BMW's Fancy New Palace Of Cars

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services, Luxury Cars & Autos

BMW Welt, or BMW World in English, is located in Munich Germany and is designed to present new BMW owners with their vehicles in the best light possible -- literally. After purchasing a new BMW, owners will have the option of passing on picking up their car the boring way (at a local dealer) and can instead head over to get the full treatment at BMW Welt. Their car will be gleaming and glittering under a spotlight while spinning slowly on a turntable -- what better way to see your brand new purchase for the first time?

Of course there's a lot more going on at BMW Welt than just cars on turntables, although with 170 cars being delivered there daily come October there's got to be a lot of turning going on.

Tags: auto, automobile, automobiles, autos, bmw, bmw welt, bmw world, BmwWelt, BmwWorld, car, cars, drive, drivers, germany, munich, wheels

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