Luxury with an Attitude - Memphis Business Journal:

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Once created to tackle off-road obstacles in hard-to-reacb places, sports utility vehicles have been rebornm as urbanassault vehicles. In a battle of one upsmanshipo where bigger is better and luxury is major players have emerged in a marketr once dominatedby Jeeps, Blazers and Luxury car makers like , Lexus and Cadillac have been quick to join the frantix popularity of the SUV: Lexus introduced its LX450, which has since evolver to the LX470, in 1996; first produced its smallerr sport utility, the QX4, in 1997; Lincoln introduced its Navigatotr in 1997; Mercedes first rolled out its ML320 and ML43 0 in 1998; and Cadillac jumped on the band wagomn with its Escalade, released in November 1998.
These are not inexpensive toys. An Infiniti SUV goes for arouncd $37,000 while a loaded Lexues weighs in atabout $60,000. Most luxurh SUVs come with CD players, multiple power time and outside temperature display on Many come withsun roofs, heated seats and navigationj systems standard. Buyers are dictating many of the standard saysCharles J. Epps, sale consultant for . "Lexus standardizesa production because it is faster and morecost effective," Epps "They do what folks Nobody wants to buy a strippee down truck and spend a fortunw fixing it up. It is more cost effectivde to make them allthe same.
Lexuds is so fast at changing whatever doesn't sell they drop real One of the best-equipper standard SUVs is the new , whichg retails for $46,525 and comes with four heated Bose stereo CD player, four wheel drivse that kicks in when the car senses the need and the On Star which is usually $1,400p down and $270 a year extra. Larryh Gullett, salesman for , says the package is an introductoryt offer to give the car an immediate edge in themarket - since most people don'ty think "Cadillac" when they think "rugged SUV." The plan The Escalade is an overnight success with Cadillac.
"It's become the fastest-selling car in the 96-year historty of Cadillac," Gullett "It's bringing us younger and more customers than Gullett says many are trading in other SUVsfor Escalades, whicbh gives Cadillac dealers a stock of Explorers, Expeditions, Suburbansa and other used vehicles it's never had before. The which ranges in price between $43,685 and has also brought in a youngeercustomer demographic, says Jimmy Grandberry, salesmanm with Covington Pike Lincoln-Mercury. "All ages are buying them," Grandberryh says. "we've never seen this much of the 25 and up Most observers are at a lost when tryingf to explain theSUV craze.
It's probably not the gas most luxury SUVs rangefrom 12-15 mpg in the city and 16-10 on the highway. And sales are equally divideed between menand women. "I'vre noticed that the guys come and get them and the ladies drivethem back," Epps says. It could be the Choices are greater than ever as SUVs are being introduced in both larget andsmaller models. Ford has just come out with the which brags that it is even large rthan Chevrolet's Suburban. "It's only two inched longer," says John manager of Gwatney Chevrolet Oldsmobileand "That's more of a marketing ploy than anything.
The 2000 Suburbahn is going to be biggee with a whole differentt body style and anew motor." On the other end of the dealers like Toyota and Honda are cominb out with smaller SUVs like the RAV-4 and the CRV,