Luxury carmakers make a splash at Detroit Auto Show 01/14/2011
This year's edition of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit has been hailed as a return to form for the auto industry, and many luxury carmakers have contributed to its prestige with returns to one of the field's biggest platforms, reports NPR.
With the economy slowly on the mend, car companies like Bentley, Porsche and Ferrari are using the Detroit Auto Show to roll out new lines of top-quality vehicles.
Bentley, for example, has a display at the show featuring three new redesigned models, which sell for prices that bottom out around $150,000. Meanwhile, Porsche's section of the show includes several new models and the debut of a concept hybrid race car.
Sales of luxury vehicles are also up. Bentley has reportedly sold out its stock of the 2011 Mulsanne, while Porsche is seeing spikes in the numbers of SUVs and four-door sports cars it delivers to consumers.
The cars being sold, however, are generally seen as less flashy than some of the carmakers' sportier options, reflecting the fact that some are still struggling as the economy gets back on its feet.
"People are coming in and ordering the exact same car, just a new version of it... so that people don't know that they've gotten a new car, which I thought was very symbolic," auto analyst Rebecca Lindland told the source.