These cars are often as valuable to enhance image as they are profit. Lincoln and Cadillac are the long standing domestic brands that have always offered only top quality products, and the Chrysler nameplate has only been attached to the best from that company.

The Europeans have played well in this market, with Mercedes and Jaguar leading the way. BMW made the successful transition from a performance company to a luxury image with three-liter sedans that are the predecessors of the 7-series cars they sell today.

The Japanese signaled they had arrived in the US when they developed the Acura, then Lexus and Infiniti channels. Mazda had intended on coming in with an Amati offering, but since bad finances precluded that, they brought in one of their best products as the Millenia. Buick is using the Park Avenue to re-kindle their image, which had become dull with a decade of me-too products.

This is an easy segment to define. If most people linger over the bottom line on the window sticker of a passenger car, it probably fits this category. The price is more due to appointments, refinement and convenience items. Features that would be accessories on others are standard in this segment. The more expensive the car, the shorter the option list. These cars are typically priced from 1 1/2 to ten times more than others that would do same job.