The luxury end of the American car industry is far from the highly populated place that somewhere like Germany enjoys. The Brits do fairly well, but Bentley and Rolls-Royce — two of the most renowned luxury brands — are owned by VW and BMW, respectively. Like that famous advertising slogan from a car rental company, American automotive luxury has to work harder.
And it does. Not just by making excellent product, although the industry wouldn’t get far without it, but also by raising its profile. For example, in the recently released Entourage movie, the pushy agent character Ari Gold is seen driving a Cadillac Ciel, a preposterously grand four-seater convertible.
The TV series always had some cool machines such as Aston Martins and Maseratis, so it’s natural that the movie would too. If America didn’t invent product placement, the nation’s marketing executives at least elevated it to a fine art. The Ciel is a concept, not a production car, but by being on screen it creates a buzz and momentum about the marque in general.
Let’s take a closer look at what it means to be American and luxurious.