Has the definition of a Luxury Vehicle changed?

[suxeL]

The traditional view of a Luxury vehicle has been what Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear best put it, as, Look at the current S-Class, and in decades worth of time, those same features will trickle down to the mass/economy offerings of the car market.

Back when that was said, the S class was leading the way by means of its 5th gen w221 series. Now days the ground breaking features of the S-Class do not feel so special, dare I say exclusive. Mercedes have LED headlights and semi autonmous driving modes in its S class, but so does a basic toyota Corolla.

Has has the definition of what defines a Luxury brand changed, and has it changed due to the more rapid R&Ding, cheaper tech, etc etc?

 

[Ian Schmidt]

Most of the features Mercedes and others have featured in the last 15 years have been enabled by computers, and computing power has gotten insanely cheap. I think as the features further flatten out you're going to see luxury brands shift more towards hand-made non-computerized things, like the Kiriko glass in the LS.

 

[mikeavelli]

Yes as peoples expectations have changed and buyers have changed.

 

[mmcartalk]

In my view, a "luxury" vehicle always was, and always will be, about physical comfort and rich-looking surroundings.....soft ride, plush seats, soft-touch surfaces, rich-looking trim, precise control of the interior environment, etc..... In some cases, you can add power under the hood to that requirement. A luxury vehicle is not, IMO, a rolling supercomputer with a million different electronic systems and buttons/touch-screens.