Drive In Luxury

Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. division is expanding its clean diesel BlueTec lineup to include its C-Class for the 2013 model year, so it will be arriving in showrooms in 2012. Ernst Lieb, CEO of Mercedes-Benz North America, also said the German automaker intends to bring a diesel version of the GLK-Class crossover. The German carmaker this year has already announced the addition of a diesel S Class.

Clean diesel sales are mounting among German automakers, which sell more of the vehicles in Europe, are pushing the vehicles in the U.S. Diesel accounted in 2010 for 53 percent of Audi A3 deliveries and more than 43 percent of Audi Q7 registrations.

Mercedes expects diesel will eventually account for 10 percent of its U.S. sedan sales and 20 percent of SUV deliveries. BMW, which is also pushing diesel vehicles to help it meet stiffening fuel economy standards, offers butters a $4,500 rebate to cover the $3,050 to $5,500 premium it charges for its diesel 3 Series and X5 models.

Diesel vehicles get between 25% and 40% greater fuel economy than gas-power versions of the same car. Diesel fuel is often more expensive than gas, discouraging some buyers from taking the plunge. The fuel’s availability has also improved, with 52 percent of U.S. stations offering diesel today compared with 35 percent in 1997, according to Diesel Technology Forum.

The Volkswagen Touareg is very popular in the Persian Gulf, where all-terrain mobility is as vital as pampering luxury and fuel costs are no object. No wonder then that Volkswagen is coming to the Qatar Motor Show with not one, but two concept versions of the Touareg.

The Gold Edition is outfitted specifically for Middle Eastern tastes, with 24-karat gold replacing the chrome on the exterior as well as the cabin. The shiny stuff coats the 22-inch wheels, roof rails, window frames, door mirrors, grille surround and more. Meanwhile the interior is also distinguished by gold trim, complimenting the Luna trim color, Alcantara roofliner, Nappa leather seats, natural brown leather and Walnut Burr veneers.

More enticing to enthusiasts, however, is the Race Touareg 3 Qatar. Envisioned as a street-legal version of the racing machine that recently claimed its third consecutive victory in the formidable Dakar rally, the Qatar version is just as tough, but benefits from an upgraded cabin trimmed in Nubuk.

Luxembourg has a very exclusive new special edition on the market. Teaming up with Fiat, Gulf Oil is celebrating their tenth anniversary in the European principality with a special edition Abarth 500.

Only ten examples of the unique retro hatchback will be made, each sporting the same iconic Gulf livery that has adorned countless racing cars over the years including the contemporary Aston Martin Le Mans Prototype. The blue and orange color scheme, complete with Gulf logos, features prominently both inside and out, and the Abarth 500 EsseEsse comes equipped with all the options for $35,000.

Now a day’s people are referring to anything top-of-the-line as "the Mercedes-Benz" or the "Rolls-Royce" of whatever category they’re in, but once upon a time that position belonged to Cadillac. And with good reason: in the 1950s, Cadillacs were the very pinnacle of luxury motoring. And few examples could demonstrate that as aptly as the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car concept.

Unveiled at the Motorama GM’s own traveling auto show the Broughham Town Car was a concept version of the Cadillac Eldorado that would hit the market the following year. Only this version was even more opulent, with a split cabin: open in the front and trimmed in black leather and chrome for the chauffeur, enclosed in the back with beige leather and gold everything from the telephone to the decanter for the occupants.

The one-of-a-kind car never went into production in this version, but was rescued from being scrapped after touring the United States in the traveling exposition. Recently restored and given a gold-trimmed 365 cubin-inch OHV V8 engine for show use.