Luxury in Motion: The Precarious State of the Supercar

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe modern-day luxury automobile has reached its pinnacle form, capable of state-of-the art performance and built from forward-thinking materials. Current model luxury automobiles capture both the principles of classical automotive design and the potential of computerized electronic advancements. Yet, as the nature of motoring evolves, the future of sophisticated transportation will be defined by trends that materialize in the luxury segment, advances in technology and shifts in the global marketplace. The meeting of high-dollar vintage automobiles and top-of-the-line current luxury cars at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on the northern California coasts sets the tone and backdrop for what is paramount in luxury and establishes a benchmark for the investigation of how the luxury automobile will evolve in the coming years. Namely, will the luxury automobile become obsolete? Or do the super-rich and powerful function so far beyond the parameters of mainstream society that this culture is immune from change? The definition of luxury remains rooted in a twentieth-century model that may be challenged by radical new ideas of how transportation and mobility evolves in the coming decades.