More $200,000-plus cars are getting ready to debut
Several new ultra-luxury cars priced above $200,000 are in the works.
Rolls-Royce is working on a model smaller than its cruise ship of a limousine, the $328,750 Phantom. BMW, which owns Rolls-Royce, reportedly thinks the British brand needs a $250,000 model to fill the gap between the Phantom and the most expensive BMW, a $120,000 760Li sedan. The budget Roller should go on sale within four years.
Rolls also has a convertible version of the Phantom in the works. The 101 EX concept car the brand showed a couple of years ago hints strongly at that model's appearance.
While Rolls-Royce moves ever so slightly down market, Bentley has begun development on a replacement for its long-lived Arnage sedan and convertible. Those boxy models are based on an old platform from when Bentley and Rolls were a single company. Arnage prices start at $212,990, so the new model will probably compete directly with the smaller Rolls.
Even Maybach, DaimlerChrysler's ultra-luxury brand, is thinking about adding a second model. The least expensive version of Maybach's 550-horsepower limousine costs $335,000.
Aston Martin hasn't admitted it will build the stunning Rapide concept car it unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this year, but the car is widely expected to be on the road in 2008 or '09 with prices running from $200,000 to $250,000.
Porsche hasn't even hinted at prices for the swoopy Panamera four-door it will build in 2009, but with a sales goal of up to 20,000 a year, it's not likely to threaten the $200,000 barrier.
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