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Old 09-14-2006, 06:05 AM   #6 (permalink)
Hypersonic
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Re: Paris 2006: Maybach 57 S in a Shining White Livery Revealed

One problem is the super-rich today are not as fussed about these types of vehicles as they used to be. There was a time when the super-rich would commission vehicles entirely to there own specifications (like the coachbuilt Rolls-Royces I have posted in the past) but automobiles are no longer really such status symbols as they used to be. These types of vehicles are bought as luxury items rather than as an everyday means of transport -- for most of the world's richest individuals, commissioning a Maybach would never be as thrilling as taking delivery of a new Lürssen mega-yacht or Gulfstream jet. It would seem most very wealthy people prefer something less conspicuous, like a Luxury SUV or S class/BMW 7. If individuals in this market want to indulge themselves, they would more likely buy a supercar than an ultra-luxury car.

I think the market has changed at this level of the market; however, the market below the Phantom and Maybach is very buoyant ....the people in the second tier of the world's rich do still buy luxury cars as status symbols -- they view luxury cars in a different context to the people at the most plutocratic end of society. So while they are stuck in traffic sitting in the pleasant luxury their S600s, the world's most powerful people are flying overhead in their Sikorskys.

If you owned one of these, a Maybach or Phantom wouldn't seem all that exciting.

Last edited by Hypersonic; 09-14-2006 at 06:29 AM.
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