1987 Mercedes Benz 300sdl 300 Sdl Turbo Diesel Southern Car Clean Rare Carfax on 2040-cars

Auto blog

6 luxury car brands to watch in 2024

2023 was a healthy year for the auto industry, and even with incentives returning and dealer lots filling up, there's plenty to like about the market if you build luxury automobiles, and we expect 2024 to be more of the same, which makes luxury-segment rivalries all the more interesting. Top luxury car brand rivalries? Well, that sounds downright uncivilized. But we know better, don't we? And when every quarterly sales update is an opportunity to remind somebody else that they bought the wrong status symbol, well, who can resist? Certainly not the diehard customers who fly their favorite brands' banners high.  Read more: Auto sales: Industry records best year since 2019 Read more: 2023 auto sales and 2024 preview: Ford Bronco vs. Jeep Wrangler This is a tricky segment to define, but essentially, we're looking at luxury car brands with depth to their portfolios and dealerships that exist to attract real-world customers. The Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and McLarens of the world are luxury cars, certainly, but we're more concerned with brands that have a bit more mass appeal — manufacturers who treat supply constraints as fiascos rather than features. If you disagree with our selections, feel free to let us know in the comments.  And since we're mostly concerned with finishing order, the luxury brands and totals featured here may change as new data come in throughout 2024. Due to the wild swings of the past several years, we're treating 2023 as the baseline by which we'll measure sales performance. And rather than rank brands vs. their finishing order in 2022, when supply-chain and inflationary issues still played havoc with sales figures, we're starting 2024 off with a clean slate.  The mainstream luxury segment is always a dogfight, but with their varied approaches to electrification all of the major luxury brands are in the midst of reshaping the premium landscape. Who is doing it right? Well, according to U.S. shoppers, the usual suspects are up to their old tricks.

2016 Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG Sport First Drive

A. M. G. Those three letters carry a lot of weight, especially to those who firmly believe that AMG is the hallowed performance pinnacle of the Mercedes-Benz brand. Those purists probably lifted an eyebrow at the front-drive platforms behind the CLA45 AMG and GLA45 AMG, and virtually every AMG-branded SUV that has hailed from the tuner-focused nameplate. But they might want to consider a second look at the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG Sport. No, it's not a full-blown, fire-breathing AMG like the C63, and it doesn't get the newfangled "Mercedes-AMG" nomenclature. But after spending some seat time in the C450 AMG Sport, there's a decent chance you'll be quite alright with that. Inside and out, the C450 bears a strong visual resemblance to the mean looking, V8-powered, 469-horsepower C63 and its even fiercer, 503-hp, C63 S variant. The C-Class cockpit feels a bit snugger than you might expect considering its exterior proportions, particularly from the passenger seat. On the other hand, the new C-Class is also quite a bit more nicely appointed than its predecessor, which has inspired more than a few comparisons to the super posh S-Class. As for the C450 AMG, its more purposeful design cues and sportier details lend it a buttoned-down, modern feel. The biggest differentiator between the C and CLA class, however, is the rear of the cabin: the C's back seats are considerably roomier than the entry-level CLA's posterior perches. In place of V8 power, the modest 450 AMG packs a more reasonably endowed twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter V6 that pushes 362 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque through a 7G-Tronic Plus automatic gearbox (in place of the the C63's dual-clutch seven-speed). Power is routed through all four wheels with a 66-percent rear, 33-percent front torque split. For some numerical context, the C450 AMG exceeds the C400 by 33 hp and the C300 by 121 hp, while it lags behind the C63 by a rather significant 107 hp. Crucially, the six-banger helps shed between 231 and 242 pounds compared the C63 models – this, despite a heavier all-wheel-drive arrangement, as opposed to the C63's rear-drive configuration. The C450 AMG shares a few pieces of hardware with its big brother AMG sibling, including the front axle, electromechanical steering, and upgraded brake setup (though you can't get carbon ceramic stoppers like you can in the C63 S).

In case you forgot, the Dubai Police supercar fleet is the coolest

Ever wonder why the Dubai Police have a fleet of vehicles worth millions and millions and millions of dollars? Why it has a Bugatti Veyron and a Bentley Continental and a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with sirens and light bars? Well, here's the reason. This video shows the fleet on display on the Emirate's roads and highways, while also reaching out to the people the police are meant to protect. It's an impressive display of machinery, to be sure. Alongside the Bentley, Bugatti and Mercedes, we spy a Ferrari FF, a Brabus G-Wagen, a BMW M6, a Nissan GT-R, an Audi R8 and a McLaren MP4-12C (although the latest Dubai Police car, the Lexus RC F, is absent). The video even has a very cinematic look and feel to it, which works well with the night scenes and the blues-and-twos of the exotics cruisers. News Source: Dubai Police via YouTube Audi Bentley BMW Bugatti Ferrari McLaren Mercedes-Benz Nissan Luxury Performance Videos dubai ferrari ff mclaren 12c