Gap between Mainstream and Luxury Cars Shrinking to Unbelievable Levels

The day could arrive soon when a new class of auto buyers starts considering the luxury cars with a choices starting at as low as $30,000, and the million dollar question would then be the choice between options like the tiny Mini Cooper or the fully-loaded Ford Focus.

Luxury car manufacturers already are making a living in the United States on their smaller vehicles, like BMW 3 Series. Americans are more interested in compact or subcompact entries and have started to display concept versions of remarkably smaller vehicles in the auto show lineup. On the other hand, mainstream manufacturers, like Ford are now adding some features on their smaller vehicles and trying to increase the prices to boost the profit margins. Detroit automakers are hoping to boost the profit of small car segment to balance the loss of their huge earnings that they got from SUVs or big trucks during earlier times, because their demands have gone down drastically.

Car purchasers, to a greater extent, will need to decide whether they should value a premium company enough to sacrifice size and possibly well-equipped amenities they could get from the non-luxury marquees for the same amount. Industry experts believe that it is a strange area, and deciding on pure luxury and mainstream brands can be quite a tricky affair. A tiny car may not work or decline the value of the luxury companies by making it inexpensive.

The 2012 LA auto show is going to host debuts of a number of mainstream and high-end small cars, showing the market’s battle for lead in the fuel efficient sector. Ford Motors thinks that execution and design, rather than the brand can dominate the future.

The redesigned version of the 2013 Fusion sedan is attracting a notable number of exchanges from Audi, Acura, and BMW owners. It is said that half of its yearly sales are from non-Ford customers and majority of them are former luxury brand owners. Talking about the top-of-the0line Fusion Titanium, the executive director of the automaker’s North American division, Frank Davis said Titanium model would be sold to BMW, Audi, or Acura buyers as at $40,000, it is gets optional AWD and many other latest features.

BMW’s 128 coupe is priced at $32,000 and it shares its chassis with the Mini models. It is a remarkable illustration of how desperate the luxury brands are, to play in the lower end market

|[tradewatchmedia.com]

Luxury Cars over the Horizon

To engineer a luxury car of the future, today's designers must first conceive of what luxury will mean in the year 2030. Will it just be about the car's curb appeal? Will drivers -- and passengers -- expect not only to be comfortable in their luxury cars but also pampered? If so, then perhaps future luxury will be delivered through tranquility, speed and control.

The 8-wheel, all-electric Eliica, from Japan's Keio University, shown in Tokyo in December 2005.

Tranquility certainly appears to be on the minds of Barcelona, Spain-based car designers Ficosa International. In 2005, Ficosa re-imagined a car's interior in the Senzai. The designers took their cues from nature, including elements like water and wood and even integrating the perception of wind within the car's cabin. Their ideas were based around Japanese Zen gardens.

An illuminated stream, enclosed in glass, falls from the top of the Senzai's dashboard to the rear floorboards, separating the driver from the passenger. On either side of the stream, the floor consists of Japanese-inspired sand gardens, which extend a warm glow to the interior cabin [source: Car Design News]. Raked sand lends a windswept impression to the interior. 

Those of us who expect to shell out $320,000 for a luxury car by 2030 should keep an eye on Keio University in Japan. That was the going rate for the Eliica, an 8-wheel electric car designed by Keio engineers when it debuted as a prototype in 2005 [source: Gizmag]. Each of the Eliica's wheels has its own 100-horsepower electric motor, making the car capable of high speeds and smooth handling [source: Auto Express]. In fact, although the Eliica lacks an engine and transmission, the electric motors driving the car can produce speeds of up to 230 miles per hour [source: Gizmodo].

Bugatti Veyron Prices

Bugatti managed to bump the Vitesse to 1,200 horsepower by fitting the convertible with four enlarged turbochargers and intercoolers. Due to the car's open roof, additional chassis supports had to be added to the Vitesse to handle the added power, so the car's top speed will likely fall just short of the Super Sport's 267 mph top end.

Concerning Bugatti Veyron Prices, the standard Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Coupe ran a cool $1.3 million and could reach a top speed of 253 mph - a speed it can maintain for 12 minutes before all the fuel is gone. Power is transmitted to the pavement via four-wheel-drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission.

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Volkswagen confirme la production de la Golf VII au Mexique

Tout récemment, nous vous annoncions l’intention de Volkswagen de produire au Mexique, son modèle Golf de 7e génération.

Aujourd’hui, le constructeur allemand confirme que cette voiture sera montée à l’usine de Puebla au Mexique, aux côtés des modèles Beetle et Jetta.

La production en sol mexicain de la nouvelle Golf se mettra en branle au début de 2014.

Les Volkswagen Golf VII assemblées à cette usine, seront réservées aux marchés de l’Amérique du Nord et de l’Amérique du Sud.

Pour la voiture la plus populaire de Volkswagen, il s’agit d’un retour au Mexique, dont certaines versions des générations I, II et III furent produites à cette même usine.