Luxury Car

Bookings have commenced for Mercedes India on upcoming models

We like to keep up to date on the luxury car market across the globe, especially India and China where they take luxury very seriously! Mercedes are making big waves in India at the minute and it doesn’t seem to be relenting any time soon.

Mercedes Benz India has commenced bookings for two of its upcoming models – the new GLA compact luxury SUV as well as the diesel version of the S-class, the S 350 sedan.

The Mercedes GLA compact luxury SUV is based on the front-wheel-drive MFA-platform that also underpins the A- and B-class. The SUV is comparable in size to the Audi Q3 and is expected to go on sale in India around the festive season. Mercedes dealers are currently taking orders for only one variant of the GLA, the GLA 220 CDI diesel. Mercedes Benz had showcased the GLA SUV at the Auto Expo 2014 earlier this year.

The Mercedes GLA 220 CDI is expected to come with a 2143cc diesel motor good for 167bhp. This is the same motor that does duty on the Mercedes A-class hatchback where it is detuned to put out 107bhp. The booking amount for the GLA 220 CDI is Rs 50,000 with deliveries being promised around September-October 2014.

Mercedes Benz has also started taking bookings for the diesel-powered S-class sedan. The S 350 CDI will be manufactured locally and will officially launch on June 5, 2014.

The Mercedes-Benz S 350 CDI will have similar equipment levels as the locally-made S 500, although it will skimp on certain features available on the range-topping version. The Burmester sound system will come without 3D surround system and there’ll be plain leather upholstery instead of nappa. The rear seat will be a bench instead of two individual seats. The S 350 CDI won’t have centre-armrest mounted tables for the rear passengers, nor chilling and heating cupholders. It will get a normal reversing camera instead of the 360-degree unit on the S 500. The Mercedes night-vision package also won’t be on offer on the S 350 CDI.

Mercedes is expected to price the S 350 CDI at around Rs 1.25 crore (estimated, ex-showroom). The Merc S 350 is a fair bit more expensive than direct rivals like the A8 L 3.0 TDI (Rs 1.12 crore), BMW 730Ld (Rs 1.02 crore) and the recently launched, locally assembled Jaguar XJ 3.0 TDI (Rs 92.1 lakh). The premium Mercedes is asking for over rivals can be put down to the fact that the S 350 is a whole generation ahead in terms of tech on offer. The booking amount for the S 350 CDI is Rs 5 lakh with deliveries being promised by end-June or early July.
Source http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-news/mercedes-s-350-cdi-gla-suv-bookings-commence-386483.aspx

Could the Rolls-Royce Phantom be the best car on the planet?

How much does true luxury cost these days? Well for nearly half a million dollars, you can buy yourself a truly luxurious car that can offer you the best speed, interiors and latest digital technology, but which of these will give you true luxury?
What do I mean “true luxury?” Well, let me break it down for you. A large luxury sedan is something like the all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Audi A8. Getting behind the wheel will have you pampered and feature the latest and greatest technology. BUT, the interiors aren’t entirely sumptuous and when you hit some bumps you will feel them.

True luxury vehicles are cars that are conceived on what seems like another planet. Everything is, simply, the best and the vehicle reflects that in every measurable metric.

Though other marques may be social media mavens or produce the most memorable Super Bowl commercials, there’s only one that can sit atop the throne and have brand equity that places it number one in the luxury domain. Think: What other brand has attained the status of being top-notch and can be applied to any other inanimate object? How many times have you heard about another product that it’s “the Rolls-Royce of…’x’?”

This neatly brings us to our subject, the Rolls-Royce Phantom — in this instance, the Series II.

The Phantom is the flagship nameplate, which now features a standard wheelbase sedan, a long wheelbase sedan, a convertible and the rarely seen coupe. It was the first new Rolls vehicle produced under BMW ownership and was launched in the early 2000s.

When you’re confronted with the properly massive sedan you truly understand the gargantuan nature of this automobile. It’s the size of most luxury sport-utility vehicles; however, it is relatively narrow which is good for navigating busy urban centres.

Up front you’ll find the large, trademark grille that bestows a Roller. Of course, the Flying Lady does her pop up trick upon unlocking the car and it hides when the vehicle is off. From the façade back you’ll note strong lines that embody elegance and presence.

If you didn’t realize what you were getting into before, when you pull the handle of a Phantom you’ll definitely know this is not your ordinary luxury vehicle. The door weighs a lot and requires effort to open it. The good news is if you’re a rear seat passenger you have a button to press and hold to close the suicide door. I hope you didn’t think all of that wood, leather and metal amounted to nothing.

Plopping down behind the enormous and thin steering wheel, you’ll note that the bottom of the wheel — not the top, like in sportier vehicles — have thumb grips. Clearly this is a clear message that the Phantom is to be ridden in. Getting more comfortable, you’ll also realize that the seats are simple. There’s not a ridiculous number of adjustments and there’s good reason for this: they’re comfortable as is.

Probably the element that gains the most attention is the plush carpeting. I have been in many sumptuously appointed homes but nothing has ever had a carpet like this. Bentley and Jaguar have nothing on this. It’s thick and soft to the touch. It feels almost criminal to be placing your feet on the carpets but c’est la vie.

If you have the joy of going for a cruise in the back seat you’ll soon appreciate how the thickness of the carpet makes your ride that much better and comfortable.

Looking at the switchgear, it’s all bespoke and quirky as you’d expect in any British automobile. Things aren’t located where one would expect. The seat controls are hidden in the armrest and the Park Distance Control (PDC) and Boot — trunk — switches are found in the ceiling’s control pod.

The infotainment unit is BMW’s iDrive just the graphical user interface (GUI) has been “reskinned.” It’s sort of funny because the rest of the cabin is simple and elegant, yet BMW‘s iDrive can be complex and confusing to some. Personally, I have grown to like it over the years and I find it logical. There’s just a two week learning curve for novice users.

I could go on for another 1,000 words about the high quality leather and remarkable wood veneers that Rolls-Royce uses in the Phantom, but frankly, I don’t want to bore you with my car geekiness. Let’s move on to the driving experience.

There’s no other way around it, though I’ve driven just about everything under the Sun, nothing compares to the Phantom. Everything about the Phantom is so far removed from even the best large luxury sedans that it makes you feel as though it was intended to be a real car and everything else is simply a go-kart.

The 6.75-liter V12 motor that produces 453 horsepower and 531 lb.-ft. of torque is eerily quiet and will never even come close to interrupting an in-cabin conversation. If you inspect the glass you’ll note it’s double-pane and it helps make wind noise virtually non-existent.

Though the Phantom weighs in at over 5,800 pounds, it has more than enough power. Zero to 60 comes in 5.7 seconds, which is quick for any automobile. On the freeway, surprisingly, it doesn’t do as bad as one would suspect lugging around all that weight as the torque easily gets you past any slow pokes. One thing I found interesting is that when you really push the “go” pedal, the vehicle doesn’t lurch forward with rude manners, it elegantly wafts along.

During my time with the Phantom, it chalked up 13 mpg. Though cliché, I am pretty doubtful anyone in-market will care.

My specific tester was equipped with the Dynamic Package, which provides extra strengthening to the Phantom’s chassis, stiffens the suspension and recalibrates the transmission. By pressing the Sport button, you’ll feel all of these things take effect as the steering gets a bit more weight to it, the eight-speed automatic transmission gets more aggressive and, overall, the car hunkers down for speedier travel. It’s not intrusive to passengers but it provides the driver with much-needed confidence to move the luxury-tuned barge at speed.

Its ride quality is most accurately described as feeling akin to a floating carpet. You can tell that it must be one of the company’s highest priorities in research and development, and that nothing is allowed to compromise it. Even over railroad tracks there is no perceptible feeling of bumps though you hear the vehicle travel over them. You simply forget they’re there.

While I typically look forward for a drive from my northern New Jersey home into my Manhattan or Jersey City office, I have to admit it can be bumpy and pain inducing at times — especially after this year’s rough winter. That wasn’t the case in the Roller. When I first picked up the Phantom I trekked down to the office at 8:00 a.m., which is the WORST time to travel in the New York tri-state region. Though I sat through two hours of traffic, I arrived at my destination completely relaxed and carefree. Following that, I had a great day of productivity. This is why a car of this calibre makes sense. Never have I ever experienced such a carefree experience. Not in a Bentley, an S-Class or any other high-end luxury auto.

To sum up the experience, it can be crystalized as a traveling living room. Except it’s probably built better and is more comfortable than any living room you’ve been in. Now I “get it.”

While Rolls-Royce is a company that has expanded into a variety of new models, and offers more sporty and tech-enabled vehicles, it remains true to its heritage of building the best luxury auto produced. There’s a reason why those interlocked R’s are recognized across the globe: the company earned it.

The Good:

– The ride quality is unlike any other vehicle I’ve travelled in — it’s easily the most comfortable, isolated ride
– The V12 powerplant is an engineering marvel as it can power a near three-ton auto with ease and grace all the while being remarkably quiet
– Nothing says presence and class like a Rolls-Royce

The Bad:

– I did hear a very slight rattle from the passenger side of the auto that became annoying
– When you arrive in a Rolls-Royce, it is an event — if you don’t like attention, this isn’t the vehicle for you
– It’s price isn’t for the faint of heart, if you have to ask you cannot afford it — for the curious, its base price is set at $402,940.

The Lowdown:

Though some like to make the argument that you can acquire a large luxury sedan for a fraction of the price and get the same satisfaction, they’re wrong. Dead wrong. That’s called settling. Simply put, this is a vehicle that’s built to be the best for the best. If that’s how you set a benchmark, you need not look any further as this vehicle is completely extraordinary compared to all else.

Source http://www.autospies.com/news/REVIEW-Is-A-Rolls-Royce-Phantom-REALLY-The-BEST-Automobile-On-The-Planet-Only-ONE-Way-To-Find-Out-81458/

Marketing tips and figures for luxury car brands

If you are involved in the luxury car market, then these figures and marketing tips will definitely be useful to you, but even those of us that just have an interest in luxury car brands will find the information of interest.

Do you agree with the marketing research? What are your thoughts on the figures that are circulating at the minute?

High luxury motor car manufacturer Rolls-Royce kicked off ‘The Icon Tour’ on April 22, at the Flower Dome in Gardens by the Bay to celebrate 110 years. The tour showcased the exemplary company history and renowned icons Ghost, Wraith and Phantom, with factory artisans present. Rolls-Royce places great emphasis on the bespoke business as the majority of ultra-high net worth customers (UHNWI) seek extensive personalization. Rolls-Royce is eyeing the Asian market for its good potential; the tour is set to make further stops in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul.

Rolls-Royce invited Agility Research & Strategy to make a presentation on the day of opening. The talk conveyed key Asian market insights regarding the affluent consumer generation that will drive business for years to come. The 2013 study involved more than 7000 consumers to understand the top 40% income segment and their relationship with brands.

This emerging class has been named Generation AAA after their unique traits; they are aspirational, ambitious, and affluent. It possesses the financial power and propensity to buy mid- to premium-priced brands.

About Generation AAA –

  • Generation AAA is a young group at 18-34 years, with an equal gender distribution.
  • More than 75% have earned a university degree or higher, and of this majority, 62% are in mid- to high-level influential positions in their respective companies, while about 6% are entrepreneurs.

Key Insights from Agility Research & Strategy

  • Generation AAA dominates Asian markets such as China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Within the next 12 months those in India are the most likely to purchase a car, followed by Indonesia and China (figure 1). The high inclination for car purchase in India and China can be attributed to the swell in ranks of the well-to-do, and changing taste in cars.

Agility chart_1

  • The majority of Generation AAA chose the price-quality relationship as the most important consideration when buying luxury cars, followed by their identification with the brand, and the individuality the brand conveys to others (figure 2).
  • Brand pricing relative to quality is vital as the pricing and marketing signals put out have to be consistent with consumer expectation. Brand identification and conspicuous individuality are important as users view purchases as an extension of themselves.

Agility chart_2

  • Generation AAA also rates Rolls-Royce among the top ten luxury cars (table 1), while BMW is rated as the top brand in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China, and Mercedes Benz is rated higher in India and Indonesia.

Agility chart_3

Top 3 Tips for Luxury Car Brands by Agility Research & Strategy

  • There is high market potential in India, Indonesia, and China over the next year and foreseeable long term. Luxury car brands should ramp up marketing frequency and intensity in those significant areas to penetrate consumer consciousness.
  • Consumers’ main concerns are brand and pricing relationship, brand identification, and ability to use the brand to express individuality. Brands must seek to create coherence between their pricing strategies and brand equity to appeal to consumers; a high pricing must be supported by a reputation, while low prices may dilute brand value. Luxury car brands must also profile their target markets more accurately to achieve a good fit with consumer identity. Consumers prefer brands that are a good fit with their self-image or ideal self-image, and brands which can serve as a form of expression.
  • Each automotive giant may well be banking on a different strategy based on their individual luxury brand rankings. Brands may need to decide on the optimal spot based on their target market size and intended exclusivity.

Source http://www.marketing-interactive.com/events/top-3-tips-luxury-car-brands/

Tunisa sell off ex-dictator’s luxury cars

 

THE luxury car collection of Tunisian former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali went on pre-auction display this week in Tunis, more than three years after his ouster.

Sixteen of the 39 cars, seized by authorities after Ben Ali was ousted in January 2011 in the first of the Arab Spring revolutions, were shown off at a casino on Wednesday and Thursday in the suburb of Gammarth. Thirteen other vehicles were displayed in a barracks.

The collection, which has yet to be valued, includes a Porsche, a Cadillac and a top-of-the-range Mercedes.

“Every member of the Ben Ali family owned between four and six cars,” Mohamed Lassaad Hmaied, director of Cruise Tour, the company mandated by the government to sell the vehicles, told DPA.

One of the factors that drove Tunisians into the street in protest was the way Ben Ali’s family used his 23 years in power to amass fabulous wealth.

Among Ben Ali’s wheels was a 1962 super-luxury Maybach, Germany’s equivalent of a Rolls-Royce. That car is to be left off the auction catalogue. The culture ministry has asked it be parked in the Museum of National Memory for posterity.

Would-be buyers have until May 21 to register for the sale, the proceeds of which will be paid into a account used to settle the former regime’s debts.

Tunisia’s cash-strapped technocratic government is hoping to raise millions of euros.

Source http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/tunisian-ex-dictators-luxury-cars-on-sale/story-fn3dxix6-1226920208093

Why you should invest in a luxury car

The luxury car market is growing and changing every day to suit the needs of prospective clientele. Where once before you could only dream of owning one, now luxury car manufacturers are looking at ways to make their brands open to more people.

Sales of luxury vehicles will continue to grow for many years to come, according to Jaguar and Land Rover.

The group marketing director for the British brands, Phil Popham, says there is plenty of growth potential for brands that produce premium vehicles and sell them at a premium price.

“We believe that the premium segments have got significant growth in future,” said Popham, who was in Australia this week as part of a visit to the Asia Pacific region.

“The world has and is becoming a more affluent place, there’s more and more affluent people. They are becoming increasingly brand savvy.”

He said success relied on the desirability of the brand being matched by unique and attractive products.

Popham said the growth would be a mix the arrival of new models and organic growth as buyers aspired to owning a luxury vehicle and wealth increased.

He also said emerging markets such as China and India brought potential for significant growth, while markets such as South Korea presented opportunities due to the greater acceptance of imported vehicles.

Sales of luxury cars have been steadily growing for more than a decade, with most manufacturers selling in market segments they haven’t traditionally competed in.

The bulk of that growth has been from intense competition from German brands Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.

Whereas in the 1990s they produced a selection of luxury sedans and a sports car or two each now produces dozens of body styles covering SUVs, hatchbacks, coupes and the traditional luxury fare.

Much of the sales growth for those German brands has been at the lower end of the market, with each now selling city cars priced below many mainstream offerings.

But Jaguar says it will not follow the German brands as far down the price scale, saying it was too difficult to compete.

“We have no aspirations to be a volume brand, because that’s not our experience, that’s not our expertise.

Popham said the margins and investments required meant it did not make sense.

“[We’re not going to be] getting down into the smaller segments, where we haven’t got the economies of scale, we haven’t got the expertise, it would cost an incredible amount to invest,” he said.

“We’re not going to be a 2 million car company like BMW.”

“But we do want to be seen as a benchmark, we do want to be considered as one of the big players in the premium segment, a benchmark in terms of a our product attributes, in terms of our credibility and in terms of our geographical coverage.

“We have got ambitions to be a substantial player in the segments in which we compete, which is the premium segment.”

Popham said that could mean producing small cars.

“I wouldn’t say we would never introduce smaller cars … it really depends upon the trends,” said Popham.

“We’ll always look around our portfolio of products in terms of trends, where are the growth segments, where do we think we can have a credible product that will make money.”

Source http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/luxury-cars-have-significant-growth-potential-20140514-389ss.html

Carmony to target the Luxury Car market

With the internet being the first place we all look for everything and anything, it is no surprise that companies are moving forward and making sure they cater for all potential clientele.

Carmony is an innovative company, owned by the same corporation as Motors.co.uk. Manheim Europe turn out some unique ideas about selling cars, and it is set to pay off for them, as Carmony begins its move into a unique position which could bring about a major change in the way we buy cars.

The people behind Carmony have identified that there is a certain type of customer which has been frozen out of online car sales, but who are these elusive customers? The company was established in 2008, and while it has remained one of the major car sales sites in the UK, it has yet to play the card which will set it apart from other car selling websites.

Like Autotrader, Carmony also contains daily news updates, encompassing new releases, worldwide events and breaking news about the world of auto trading. Like Arnoldclark.com, Carmony allows buyers to search for a suitable dealer or franchise, but unlike any other site in the UK, Carmony plans to put an emphasis on the sale of premium cars on the site.

Premium cars such as the Lexus and Audi will feature on the rebranded Carmony siteBrands such as Audi and Lexus, and cars worth more than £25,000, will feature on the site – and as all the cars for sale on Carmony are approved by dealers, buyers can rest assured that the car they have bought is of forecourt standard.

There is no shortage of cars on the website which will help buyers to find the right car for them, and sellers to offload their old motor – however, most of the market is for low-cost cars which are in an acceptable condition. People who buy cars online usually don’t expect to come away with a luxury product, meaning that there is a large section of the market which is not covered by any of the websites that sell cars, specific or otherwise.

If Carmony can be the first to begin putting high end clients in touch with dealers, or using the site to buy luxury cars directly, then it will put the company in a very powerful position.

That’s not to say that people who want to buy a middle of the range, or even very cheap car, can’t use Carmony. Carmony shows the minimum price for each type of car on the home page, and the price of a hatchback usually starts at around £500 – what’s great about this is that young people and students, or those who want to downsize, can get a dealer approved car at very reasonable prices.

Source http://swns.com/news/carmony-rebrands-to-target-luxury-car-market-48604/

Here are the 10 optional extras on a luxury car that you DO NOT need!

Knowing what optional extras to go for on any luxury car can be daunting, but we have listed below the ones that you should reconsider or just stay away from and save your money!

We’ve all splashed out just a bit too much at one time or another. Did your TV really need gesture control, and have you ever actually used it? Why have you got a 750gb hard drive when all you use your computer for is YouTube and Facebook? And did you absolutely have to have the extra large onion rings with that sandwich?

Mind you, these personal excesses pale into insignificance compared to what some people are prepared to shell out for. Buying any luxury car is in and of itself excessive (after all, you could get around just as easily and comfortably in a Ford Mondeo…) but some buyers take it just that stage extra, and the car makers and tuning companies are more than happy to indulge their expensive, profitable whims…

10. Audi Design Selection leather

Ah, Audi. The company that gave us four wheel drive performance cars and utter domination at Le Mans. The company that says you can find advancement through technology. The company that created Audi Ultra – a rigorous programme to shed the weight and fight the flab to make its cars more efficient. The company that offers you leather seats that cost as much as an entire other car.

Seriously. If you buy an Audi A8 (and, as Barry Norman never actually said, why not?) and tick the box for Design Selection package in either Balao Brown or Marble Grey, you’re going to add €19,254 to the price of your car. That’s enough to buy an entire extra Octavia or Leon. Or two Ups. All that for some leather seats (they are made of nice leather, right enough) and some extra climate control buttons.

Sublime or ridiculous? Both at the same time.

Or you could have bought: A 1.2 TSI Seat Leon S.

9. Gold leaf paint

Carlsson, in spite of the rather Swedish-sounding name, is actually a German tuning company founded in 1989 by brothers Rolf and Andreas Hartge. The firm specialises in tweaking and modifying Mercedes-Benz models and will happily bling up, to your spec, anything from an A-Class all the way to a seven-seat R-Class. They even do kits for the Vito van. For the 2014 Geneva motor show, Carlsson really decided to push the boat out and presented a modified version of the new Mercedes S-Class. Only 25 of the CS50 Versailles model will be made, and all will come with modified 700hp V8 engines. And gold, lots of gold, so much gold that Auric Goldfinger would think it was a bit over the top. This isn’t just faux-gold trimming either, this is the real, weighty metal stuff, hand-beaten and applied to the instrument panel, the door cards, the window switches, even the cupholders. There’s even gold in the paint, just in case you were worried that you weren’t quite pulling off the South American tinpot dictator look. Cost? At least €800,000 to land one in Ireland, and that’s before Revenue create a special VRT category for gold leaf…

Sublime or ridiculous? Neither; just unbearably naff.

Or you could have bought: A 5-bed mansion on two-thirds of an acre just a stone’s throw from Adare Manor.

8. The Aston Martin Cygnet

Now, this is, strictly speaking, an entire car and not an option. However the original plan was for Aston Martin to offer its smallest, most efficient car ever only to those buyers who were already signing up for a new Vanquish, DB9 or whatever. At a price of around STG£30,000, it was certainly not cheap but hey, it was an extra car with an Aston Martin badge on the bonnet so bargain, right?

Not so fast. The Cygnet was nothing more than a tiny Toyota iQ tarted up with an Aston-style grille and some nasty-looking quilted leather seats. Aston suggested that it would make the ideal in-town runabout for those Aston customers who didn’t want to risk parking dings on their precious V12 Grand Tourers. A fair point, but then a normal Toyota iQ which cost about a third as much to buy would have done the same job. The whole idea was cooked up when Aston boss Ulrich Bez bumped into Toyota boss Akio Toyoda in the back of a garage at the Nurburgring 24hrs race. Both must have been inhaling a few too many tyre fumes that day. Essentially, buyers were being asked to pay way over the odds for a tiny car whose real purpose was simply to drag down Aston’s profligate corporate Co2 emissions. It was quietly taken out back for a meeting with the vet late last year.

Sublime or ridiculous? Utterly ridiculous.

Or you could have bought: An actually Toyota iQ (a brilliant little car) and pocketed the change.

7. Ferrari F12 Berlinetta carbon fibre filter box cover

While we often castigate the big German car companies for their skill in separating buyers from their money via the means of an extensive and expensive options list, let’s not forget that the Italians are just as keen on burrowing into your bank account and no more so than when you’ve signed up for a Ferrari. There are many silly and frivolous options you can spec on your Fezzer, but the cake must surely be taken by this, the STG£3,072 carbon-fibre silted box cover. That’s right, a lid for the bit that holds the air filter made from the same space age material that Formula One cars are built from. Surely, you would think, this is excellent. It must reduce the weight of the car, lower the centre of gravity, make it FASTER! Nope. It’s just silly. The standard plastic cover is just as light, and any potential weight saving could just as easily be made by leaving your watch at home. Or hitting the gym for a week.

Sublime or ridiculous? Ridiculous.

Or you could have bought: A Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Titanium watch, which would probably save the same amount of weight.

6. Porsche’s leather air vents

Sorry, having just said that the Italians were close to matching the Germans when it came to fleecing their customers, the Germans have nipped in with a last-minute equaliser – Porsche’s leather air vents. More and more car makers have been taking advantage of the fact that allowing customers to personalise and customise their cars means chunkier profit margins. Ford arguably started the trend with the original Mustang but everyone’s at it now. No-one more so than Porsche. Clearly, there are Porsche options that are aimed at actually improving the performance of the car. You can spec your 911 with a lighter lithium-ion battery for instance, or increase its grunt with the Power Kit option. Or you can spend STG£1,173 on having the air vent slats of your Panamera covered in leather. Yes, that’s right, the air vent slats. The little wiggly bits that direct the airflow either to your perma-tanned face or your diamond-encrusted jeans. In leather. It can even be in a different colour leather to the rest of the interior, if you like.

Sublime or ridiculous? Pointless…

Or you could have bought: Four Dyson Air Multiplyer fans.

5. Bentley furniture

You can buy just about anything branded with your favourite car logo these days. Porsche is the past master at this; everything from kettles to sunglasses to watches to wallets logo’ed up with the Porsche crest. Ferrari makes more money from licensing its Prancing Horse logo out to the makers of various jackets, t-shirts, baseball caps and pens while this very author still has a pair of Land Rover-badged boots gifted to him some years ago and very nice they are too. So how about a king0sized bed? Or a sideboard? Yup, really, you can buy these but only if your disposable income levels are on the disgusting side of plentiful. Bentley has been branching out into branded goods lately (its aftershave is surprisingly nice…) but surely the cake is been thoroughly taken by these outrageously expensive home furnishings. The ‘Canterbury’ bed will cost you STG£15,000 while the metal and veneer sideboard is a staggering STG£22,000. They aren’t strictly, we suppose, vehicular options but doubtless your Bentley dealer will happily include them on the invoice for your Mulsanne.

Sublime or ridiculous? Probably depends on the size and/or location of your house.

Or you could have bought: An Opel Meriva (bed) or a Ford Fiesta ST (sideboard).

4. Ferrari’s passenger-side speedo

You buy a Ferrari for two primary reasons; to look good when going slowly, and to feel good when going quickly. Both are pretty much the core competencies of any Ferrari and as we all know, there’s nothing a member of the opposite sex prefers than to see an attractive version of the other gender driving one. Ferraris are the wheeled version of dopamine, in that sense. However, one of the other points of driving a Ferrari is to demonstrate what a terrific driver you are; taming your Italian stallion as you go. The idea of putting a digital speedo (and rev-counter) in front of your passenger then is a little odd. Surely you don’t actually want anyone sitting in the other seat to know exactly how fast you were just going? They’ll either squeal and shout at you to slow down or shrug insouciantly and point out just how slow and unskilled you really are. The art of being a wannabe Fangio is in not letting people see how hard you are trying. This doesn’t help…

Sublime of ridiculous? Ridiculously unhelpful.

Or you could have bought: It’s a STG£2,400 option on the FF so, a lifetime subscription to The Irish Times for your passenger to look at instead.

3. Bentley’s iPod drawer

Bentley can offer you an entirely kitted-out mobile office in the back of your Mulsanne or Flying Spur. With multiple screens, a 4G internet connection and a Mac Mini stashed in the boot, it turns your sybaritic limo into a full-on den for deals on wheels. Buy. Sell. Buy. Long, Short. Etcetera. Still, that’s not entirely frivolous – after all, if you’re being driven around in the back of your Bentley you’re probably worth a bit and probably want to be worth a bit more, so being able to work and communicate on the move is actually quite a useful thing. However, Bentley can offer you a cutting-edge connectivity option that’s so utterly frivolous it almost defies description. It’s a drawer, inset into the dash of your Mulsanne, made of the same polished walnut veneer and lined with the same Connolly leather as the seats. And it’s for your iPod or iPhone. Most car companies make you stick your Pod into a handy cupholder, Some, Skoda chief amongst them, can offer you a handy custom-made slot to leave it in. Not Bentley though. Bentley reckons your iPhone needs to be pampered.

Sublime or ridiculous? iRidiculous.

Or you could have bought: A 64gb iPod Touch.

2. Hyundai Equus

We think of Hyundais as affordable, well-specified and possessed of a long warranty. They are rivals to the likes of Ford, VW and Opel. They are not luxury cars. Well, that’s not what Hyundai really wants you to think, or at least, if you’re in the United States, that’s not what they really want you to think. They want you to think of Hyundai as capable of mixing it with the likes of BMW and Mercedes as easily as it does with Ford and Opel. That’s why, in the US, you can buy cars like the Equus – a big, luxurious, imposing, rear-drive V8 saloon. It’s not half bad either; good to drive, refined and very, very comfy. And it’s got a champagne cooler in the back. Now, a mini-fridge in a Hyundai we could understand, but a specific champagne cooler? That’s the sort of thing you find in Commander Bond’s Aston, not a Korean-built exec saloon. Maybe it’s just a question of perspective, but even so, don’t expect to see this on a Santa Fe any time soon.

Sublime or ridiculous? Ridiculous.

Or you could have bought: Well, an Equus costs USD$62,000 so quite a lot of other things, really…

1. Rolls-Royce Starlight headlining

This is kind of a charming one. A few years back, Rolls-Royce decided to offer as an option a roof liner that replicated the night sky. It was originally offered on the first generation Phantom Coupe and seemed to be of similar provenance to the decision to fit the Phantom Drophead with a cloth roof instead of a folding steel item – because it’s more romantic to hear the patter of soft summer rain on a cloth hood. Similarly, the idea of feeding tiny fibre-optic lights into the headlining to replicate the night sky from within seems rather romantically lovely. A nice touch. It all gets a bit undermined when you dig a little deeper though. You see, for a fee, Rolls-Royce can layout the ‘stars’ to replicate the view of the night sky from a chosen point on the Earth on a chosen date. Your birthday, perhaps. Or the night you bought the winning Lotto ticket that led to you buying a Rolls. It makes the romanticism of the original idea start to seem needlessly narcissistic. Besides, you can now have a similar option on a lowly Opel Adam, which rather spoils the whole effect…

Sublime or ridiculous? Sublimely ridiculous.

Or you could have bought: An actual star, probably.

Source http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/10-most-ridiculous-optional-extras-on-a-luxury-car-1.1783389?page=3

BMW believe the face of luxury is changing

With the growing demand for more digital technology and style, it is no surprise that BMW have recently made a bold statement about what defines a luxury car today. The car manufacturer believes that premium manufacturers will have to focus more on details if they want to continue to charge premium prices.

The German luxury giant’s senior vice president product management, Hildegard Wortmann, said luxury car makers such as BMW would have to evolve to reflect changing tastes and expectations by buyers of luxury vehicles.

“There’s a new understanding of what luxury stands for, which is a strong evolution or revolution of where we are today,” Wortmann told Drive at the 2014 New York motor show.

“Being a leader, we think we need to be there progressing as well and doing different things.”

Speaking at this month’s New York motor show Wortmann pointed to the recently unveiled BMW Future Luxury Concept car that is a pointer to the upcoming sixth generation 7-Series luxury flagship. She said it was evidence of the lengths BMW would be going to in an effort to further build its image and sales.

“We had a lot of discussions about it internally,” she said. “Luxury is no longer adding chrome and bits and pieces to a car … there is a new generation coming up where you have to deliver luxury in a different way, which is more about innovation, about craftsmanship, about the materials you use, etcetera.”

Wortmann said while BMW would be focussing more on materials and attention to detail the digital era meant it was more important than ever for luxury brands to maintain pace with new developments.

“If you look at all the consumer electronics in the car, we cannot offer old stuff when the world around is moving fast.”

Wortmann said there was no danger of the luxury market drying up, with increasing demand prompting major players such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi to increase the number of cars they offer.

“There will always be a market for luxury, top-end models,” she said. “There will always be customers going for the ultimate luxury experience and that’s certainly something we will deliver, but the definition of luxury has got to be at least evolving if not changing.”
Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/executive-style/motors/face-of-luxury-is-changing-says-bmw-20140430-37gtg.html#ixzz30XZTI9P3