Luxury car

A luxury car is a passenger automobile providing superior comfort levels, features, and equipment. More expensive materials and surface finishes are used, and buyers expect a correspondingly high build quality.

The term is relative and unavoidably subjective, reflecting both objective qualities of a car and projected and perceived image of the vehicle's marque. Luxury brands rank above premium brands, though there is no clear distinction between the two.

Luxury cars span from sports cars to large saloons and sport utility vehicles. "Compact" luxury vehicles also fill a niche.

Several car classification schemes include a luxury category, such as:

Luxury cars have traditionally emphasized higher levels of comfort, performance, and safety. Manufacturers often introduce new safety technologies and comfort amenities on luxury models before they are available on more affordable models. Some brands, like Audi and BMW have expanded their marketing downscale out of the traditional luxury realm by "introducing lesser priced and strip-down economy versions of their products."

Luxury vehicles can be a status symbol for conspicuous consumption. However, to sort the theft of the most exotic models in a line, and cater to European luxury car buyers who shy away from being identified with conspicuous consumption, brands offer buyers the option of removing exterior badges that identify the model name or engine size.

The suspension system of most luxury cars is tuned to prioritize ride quality over handling; however, some are marketed as "sports luxury" and have a greater emphasis on handling characteristics, while others seek to optimize both.

Traditionally, luxury cars have used a front-engine, rear-wheel drive (FR) layout. Due to improvements in technology, the FR layout is more expensive to produce and produces lower fuel economy than a front-wheel drive layout;^{[citation needed]} however, it allows for larger engines (particularly straight-six, V8, and V12) to be used.