The Businessman’s Guide to New Luxury Cars

Anyone who has test-driven new luxury cars knows how wide and complicated and varied a spectrum the term “luxury” is. On one hand, it seems obvious: applicable only to those many hundred thousand dollar vehicles that playboys and third world dictators drive. But others may see their less affluent neighbors and relatives driving a car they’ve deemed “luxury,” and wonder what the connection is. These cars have been around almost since the advent of mainstream vehicles, and while anyone can and does buy them, when applied to cars the term luxury is most often affiliated with businessmen. To provide a little history and explanation of just what luxury means, we thought it’d be a good idea to outline the term for businessmen everywhere.

New luxury cars have always been a mark of success. Anyone can afford a Ford, but the ability to drive a luxury brand meant your personal business was of a higher caliber than most Americans. Different brands began to market themselves as luxury, offering a whole spectrum of vehicles—from the young businessmen to CEOs. The cars became essential symbols to gaining the respect of potential clients and investors. But in order to accommodate such a diverse group of customers, luxury car manufacturers inevitably produced a wide variety of luxury cars.

Marketers use segments to classify luxury vehicles, and all new luxury cars can fall into one of four levels: entry, mid, high-end, and ultra-luxury. The first two correspond roughly to promotional and bureaucratic levels. Entry-level luxury caters to the new, young businessmen who have just begun lucrative careers; they’re smaller since their clientele tend to be bachelors or newlyweds.

Mid-luxury vehicles appeal to managers and others who have had a few years in the system; corresponding to raises, they cost a bit more and are often large enough to hold a family (though with an engine more powerful than any standard “family car”). These two “lower level” luxury cars cary the more affordable brand names: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and high-end models of Volvo and Lexus. Though undeniably fine in quality, new luxury cars from these segments don’t boast the same prestige that many people associate with “luxury.”

The last two tiers are the big dogs: high-end and ultra-luxury. High-end new luxury cars include some of the previously listed names, but Jaguar and Audi begin to appear in this segment as well. These vehicles are designed for largeness and power: full-size cars with top of the line amenities and often a V8 engine under the hood.

Ultra-luxury vehicles, though, blow the other segments out of the water. New luxury cars of this tier always cost more than $100,000, and many brands found at this level have no lower models. Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, and Maserati only produce ultra-luxury vehicles, but they’re joined by the best variants of Jaguar, Audi, and BMW as well. Built for power and prestige, these luxury cars aren’t for playboys and thrill-seeking billionaires. They’re business through and through, and they represent the highest level of success in the professional world.