The Luxury Car Market
March 6, 2012One segment of the world economy that has not suffered setbacks in recent years is the luxury car market. Sales are booming, and although some might consider the steep prices for luxury vehicles to be just short of outrageous, to the connoisseur with money behind him, the astronomical prices are not a deterrent.
Consider, for instance, the Bentley Continental GTC. At a base price of $220,000, it is  sure to turn heads. This car is best known as the “James Bond car” as it was a prominent fixture in several of the Hollywood films featuring the fictional super spy. Bentley was originally a British company, and no one does understated elegance better than the Brits. In recent years Volkswagen acquired Bentley, and no one does engineering better than the Germans. Voila! It’s a magical combination for the car aficionado.
Volkswagen is obviously expanding its line of luxury vehicles as it has also acquired Lamborghini. Although now owned by the German auto maker, these sleek, low-slung cars are still produced at a factory in northern Italy. Perhaps the most sought after Lamborghini is the Aventador LP 700-4. Its base price is a whooping $387,000 – but it’s arguably one of the fastest and most stylish cars on the road today. Italians are so justifiably proud of Lamborghinis that it’s rumored the police never ticket them – no matter how fast they are being driven!
Many people have never even heard of the most expensive cars in the world. They are truly in a league of their own, and only the extremely wealthy are able to afford them. There’s the Pagani Zonda Clinque Roadster. It has a base price of $1,850,000 and can reach a top speed of 217 miles per hour. The Koenigsegg Agera is another luxury car that is available for a “mere” $1,600,000. Speed is the primary reason car enthusiasts buy this automobile. The highest speed this vehicle can attain is electronically capped at 235 mph. But, the lucky owner of this auto can make arrangements with the manufacturer to unlock the electronic speed restrictor for one special occasion – and attain a speed of 270 mph! Talk about a thrill ride!
Perhaps the fastest street car is the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports car. At $2, 400,000, it is also one of the most costly luxury cars on the road today.  It can routinely reach speeds of 267 mph. Most people will never even see one of these cars in their lifetimes – let alone own one. But for the mega-wealthy, even an automobile of this caliber is not out of reach.
