When I look at what the future of automotive taste is, I think China is always the best example. Chinese consumers are excellent students of trends and culture. For years, that meant copying Western ideals of beauty and fashion. Now? It’s us copying them, whether it’s a Labubu or a Lincoln.
The Morning Dump will start in China this morning, where European automakers are failing to sell electric cars and, more importantly, to sell luxury cars. I think this is because what a luxury car was is not what a luxury car is. I think “brand” is a more malleable concept than it was before. It’s a tough lesson for some automakers to learn.
Polestar is one of these automakers that could have thrived in this environment, but it doesn’t seem to be happening based on its most recent sales. Ford has done slightly better than the market this year in North America. That’s premised on selling a lot of F-150s, and that ain’t happening without aluminum.
If you’re in Tennessee, there’s one product that Ford does seem to be able to produce at scale, though it’s maybe not one you’ll want to see in your rearview mirrors.
It’s Not That China Doesn’t Want Luxury Cars, It’s Just Luxury Has Changed
I’m not an expert in Chinese culture or even Chinese cars. I’m just an observer, and what I’ve noticed over the years is that Chinese cars have gone from following to leading when it comes to features and taste.
At first, it was just obvious things. Chinese consumers still bought luxury cars from European brands like Audi and Volkswagen; it’s just that they wanted longer wheelbase versions of everything. One oft-told reason is that government officials got chauffeurs, but couldn’t have a nicer car than their boss. Ergo, your direct report got an A6, you got an A6L, and your boss got an A8 (and their boss got an A8L).
There’s maybe some truth to that, though a bigger reason might be simple economics: It’s more car for not that much more money. Dig down even deeper, and you’ll see that many of the cars that were extended were locally produced, meaning that an A6L built by FAW-VW-Audi under a JV was way cheaper than an imported A8.
Whatever the reason, more Western consumers started getting the longer-wheelbase versions of traditional models as well. It didn’t stop there.
One of our earliest posts was about how the Chinese Explorer’s interior was so much better than the interior on the North American version, and, lo and behold, the American version looks a lot more like the one Chinese consumers had three years ago.
When Tesla debuted, the simple designs absolutely killed companies like Audi and Mercedes, with the Model S quickly becoming the best-selling luxury car in America. For years, European automakers said that their brand image, years of engineering prowess, and special sauce of driving feel made them untouchable. Tesla’s first luxury sedan absolutely whomped them.
Chinese automakers have taken this one step further. It doesn’t seem to matter what the form factor is (sedan, SUV, MPV), the cars that Chinese consumers view as desirable are the ones with the most driver-focused technology. It may not entirely appeal to gearheads, but people want stuff.
If you look at the Xioami Xu7 (a car so good that Ford CEO Jim Farley didn’t want to give his up), the vehicle runs the company’s HyperOS (via Qualcomm’s Snapdragon system-on-chip), which allows the infotainment system to mirror smartphones, tablets, and interface with the company’s smarthome systems. It also has an advanced driver-assistance system that is as good (or better) than anything else out there on the consumer side.
You know who is having a hard time competing with that? Per Bloomberg:
Western manufacturers are losing ground in the world’s biggest car market to homegrown rivals such as BYD and Xiaomi, whose feature-packed EVs are undercutting them on price. Fierce competition in China is squeezing profit margins, while a slowdown in the real estate sector is limiting luxury demand. BMW lowered its earnings forecast earlier this week, citing the China slump and costs related to U.S. tariffs.
Weak demand for luxury EVs is hitting automakers already dealing with muted growth in Europe. All of them have corrected course by cutting costs or shifting funds back into combustion-engine and hybrid models.
I don’t think it’s just a cost thing. European automakers are trying to sell “luxury” with cars that lack the features that the consumer views as luxury. That’s not a recipe for success.
Polestar Sales Were Up 13%, That’s Not Enough
Sam wrote last year that the Polestar 3 “gives the Polestar brand a reason to exist.” I’m less convinced.
The Volvo-aligned, Geely-owned company has produced some good cars, but it’s not really differentiated enough from the rest of the market in any way that seems to matter. Proof?
Most automakers saw a huge increase in EV sales thanks to the death of the IRA tax credit. Polestar? Not so much:
Polestar (Nasdaq: PSNY) global retail sales amounted to an estimated 14,192 cars in Q3 2025, up 13% versus Q3 2024. For the first nine months of the year, retail sales approximated 44,482 cars, a growth of 36% compared to the same period last year.
Is that enough? That doesn’t seem like enough. By comparison, GM’s Q3 EV sales were up over 100%.
The Aluminum Fire Seems Like It’s Going To Cost Ford A Ton Of Money
Ford pioneered the use of aluminum in trucks. The company took some heat for it, but now everyone seems to be following the F-150’s lead. The problem is that new tariffs on aluminum mean that Ford really needs a domestic source for automotive-grade aluminum, and a fire at the Novelis plant in upstate New York is going to make a dent in the company’s operations.
According to Reuters, that might be a big dent:
A fire at a New York aluminum plant that is expected to affect production of Ford Motor Co.’s F-150 truck for months will sap up to $1 billion from the automaker’s earnings, according to Evercore ISI analysts.
Meanwhile, Ford is pausing production next week of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup in Dearborn, Mich., because of the aluminum plant fire, a union official at the plant said.
A memo shared with workers at the plant, viewed by Reuters, said the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will be off next week. Nick Kottalis, the UAW chairman of Dearborn Truck, as well as the REVC, confirmed the shutdown was related to the aluminum factory fire. Ford declined to provide specifics on any production adjustments.
A billion? With a “b”? That’s bad timing, given all the tariff disruptions.
Tennessee Has A New Car To Fight Reckless Driving
The Tennessee Highway Patrol has a new tool to ” stop reckless driving, enforce speed laws, and respond when lives are on the line.”
I do like the THP livery, and it looks great here. I’m also a sucker for Mustang police cars.
“This is one reason why we still make 5-liter V8s. To serve and protect,” a Ford spokesperson told me this week.
Obviously, using a Mustang to fight reckless driving is a bit like using kerosene to fight a forest fire. Perhaps it’s like a control burn situation? A control burnout?
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
TMD favorite Blondshell did a version of “Arms” with breakout singer Gigi Perez and it’s predictably great.
The Big Question
What’s a luxury car?
Top photo: Xiaomi
I’ve been saying it for years, after a certain amount of income the most valuable thing to you is your time, and with that the most efficient use of your time.
“Luxury” features that cost your more time than the basic ones for a miniscule improvement if that are not “Luxury”, they’re more like a “Luxury” Tax.
In today’s world, luxury for me isn’t tech or features. You can get all sorts of options on modestly priced cars that 15 years ago would only be found on luxury cars. What makes me think of luxury today is an interior filled with pleasant materials. Real wood, real aluminum, real leather. Buttons and knobs that just feel nice to use, with some weight to them. Comfortable seats that fit the vehicle–a performance luxury car should have buckets that are both comfortable and capable of holding you in place if you go on a track day. A comfort cruiser should have seats like the ’01 V70 I grew up in. Like riding around in a comfy recliner, but with proper support in the right places.
With screens and techy features becoming commonplace on regular cars, I’m hoping that the physical, tactile experience of the cabin becomes more important again.
I think we are already starting to see this. Just look at how the interior of Bugatti’s latest supercar (sorry I’ve forgotten the name of it) is designed. There’s a heavy emphasis on craftsmanship and elegance.
That’s one of the cars I had in mind when I wrote that! Hoping that trend starts to trickle down.
I belive it is called the Bugatti Toblerone.
Here’s one thing luxury is not: me thinking I could do well buying a used Polestar 2 but knowing the nearest actual service is 600 miles distant. If you want to sell a car, luxury or not, you need service availability. In my town they did not succeed in signing up the Volvo dealer to be an enthusiastic service provider. So maybe a Mach E instead?
I really like that dark metallic rose color on the Xiaomi in the top photo.
The problem with Luxury is that those Brands that historically were badge engineered higher end versions of basic cars have largely gone away. So, the brands that were only Luxury versions are getting messed with by basic cars and the much more diversified options levels.
To compete, the historically high end cars in america (BMW seems more like chevrolet in parts of europe to me) have to actually build down to compete with top trim levels usually, and then the definition of luxury become muddied. the Camry alone has 5 starting points before you start choosing options within. I think the Camry has optional Dog Booster seats even.
I just bought an X3 (last gen), but I didn’t pretend it was for luxury. It’s no nicer than the new Kia Sportage I was looking at…in fact, the feature and comfort list is actually quite a bit shorter than Kia’s. It’s about on par with a CR-V, just with a cooler powertrain and better handling. I wasn’t deluding myself at all.
Luxury is so attainable now because it’s almost always tied to something high-tech; and that generally means whoever can access the tech cheaply (ie, almost everyone) and deploy it in a user interface that makes sense….they can be “luxury.”
I’m looking forward to a return to luxury meaning craftsmanship and longevity, personally. Think about the W123 Mercedes, which was the standard bearer for luxury for a really long time, all around the world. I think this change will come, but it’s up to consumers to stop treating cars like outfits from Temu, and more like a long-term investment (I use this term loosely). It’s inevitable with current prices that cars will be kept longer, we just need to see the manufacturers catch up with what is really needed.
It won’t happen, they’ll keep cranking out planned obsolescence because you can’t stop the Consumerist Machine. Having nice, new things keeps this economy going, just as much as excessive construction keeps China going. Neither can afford to slow down.
I once heard a good definition of luxury:
If driving a particular car reduces your stress (compared to another car, or even compared to daily life), then that one is the more luxurious of the two.
I like that. Last year I had my parents spare car, a 2022 E450 Mercedes, for a month. I loved it. It was just so easy to live with. Plenty of power and smooth delivery, I was never even tempted to put it in sport mode. I can’t put my finger on any one thing but I can’t tell you the last time I drove a car that was just so pleasant to live with every day. I drive a 2014 Sportwagen TDI (manual) every day and generally prefer that it’s more basic. But I keep thinking about that Mercedes. No wonder they sell so many E classes.
Luxury is not having to do things. Luxury is soft-close doors so you don’t have to think about how hard you are or aren’t closing them, power memory seats so you can get back to your perfect settings without any effort, an infotainment system that automatically pairs to your phone, so you don’t have to take it out of your pocket, etc. The ultimate luxury in a car is a chauffeur, short of that it’s adaptive cruise control.
If we’re using this bare definition, where a luxury car is one that makes you interact with it the least, we have peaked. There’s nothing left for the driver to not do.
Now, premiumness is a different matter. That’s expensive materials, nice touch surfaces and controls. A premium product is one that is pleasant to interact with.
I’ll use coffee as an analogue:
A luxury coffee machine has a timer and a self-feeding hopper of pre-packaged pods. You do nothing, and you get some hot coffee in your world’s best brother in law mug before you even wake up, ready for a dab of your favorite creamer.
A premium coffee experience, however, is one where pleasant interactions are maximized: You have a nice silver spoon with which you scoop the beans from your specialty roasting device into a dosing cup on a scale, then you pour it into your lovely CNC-machined grinder, which doses it into your hardwood-handled stainless portafilter. You then use a tamper with a matching handle, and the filter slots nicely into your shiny espresso machine, where you flip a big metal toggle to initiate the extraction of coffee into your hand-spun eggshell ceramic cup. You then grab your stainless milk steaming jug, put it on your scale, measure a dose of goat’s milk, which you steam using your espresso machine’s steaming wand, and pour into your second milk-pouring jug, so that you can get finer control while adding it to your cappuccino. You make yourself some latte art.
Of course, if you knew true luxury, you’d have your butler undergo something similar to the premium experience on your behalf, ideally in a secluded area of your estate where you can’t hear the equipment running.
Now, there are some markets that are satisfied with the luxury presented by cars, and want them to be more premium, and some markets that are satisfied with how premium cars are and want them to be more luxurious. In the era of software, making a car more luxurious only costs as much as a bunch of servo motors and some extra programming time during development, but making it more premium requires consideration of materials for every component, from the door handles to the floormats, re-engineering of control interfaces and, crucially, improvement of manufacturing tolerances. That’s very expensive, so it’s a lot easier to just force all buyers to accept that more options on the screen is an upgrade.
Given your handle, I’m disappointed in the lack of Rich Corinthian Leather in this otherwise very well thought-out reply.
Honestly, so am I. It was right there. I’ll go wrap my espresso machine in rich Corinthian leather to atone for this sin.
This differentiation of “luxury” and “premium” is really spot on and I think most car buyers and manufacturers know there is a difference but don’t spend the time or effort differentiating between the two.
This whole idea whereby “ones and zeroes = luxury” can just get the fuck off my lawn. Luxury is a combination of engineering, build quality, performance, comfort, reliability, and style that you can’t get in an Equinox or Explorer. It has nothing to do with “features”.
I think everyone jumped on the more is more wagon and when faced with the cheap labor and a mega-robust tech industry (by leaps and bounds) this is just not adding up. What is your job as the smart, educated, strategic thinker CEO of the say, VAG group if not THIS: can’t beat China at their own game and plus, read the damn leaves.
Shortsightedness aside, I think the tech creeping in cars (mirror my phone? Why? Playing video while driving? Gaming? Again, why?) is not the real answer here – at least not in the west. There is a lot of cultural misunderstanding going on and the carmakers seem to be the first in line right now.
My hope is that we see more real, solid innovation like Scout, Rivian, Lucid, Tesla (in the past tense) Slate (maybe?) or just plain fuckin 60’s Citroen, Fiat and lots of American iron. Adding more tech features i.e. lipstick on the same pig when both the pig and the lipstick are made elsewhere is just not going to work.
I don’t think comparing Polestar’s sales being up compared to GM is all that fair one is a luxury brand while you are looking at GM as a whole if comparing just to Caddy’s EV sales that would make much more sense. Seeing the starting price of the Polestar 3 is almost 70k and the 4 is about 57k I wouldn’t expect them to be selling like hot cakes. Hell if the average sale price of their cars is roughly 60k with almost 44.5k of sales that is near 2.7 billion is sales through the first 9 months of the year.
A luxury car is a car that is better than the one the poors drive.
It has less to do with quality, features, or durability than indicating status.
A Rolex – well crafted watch as it may be – says something about its wearer.
It says: I can afford to frivolously spend large sums of money on jewellery and you can’t.
This is a seeming universal human trait, regardless of culture.
It’s why the counterculture angle to that is somebody who is wealthy deciding to voluntarily drive a mid-level Toyota Camry and wear a Timex, because they’re not flaunting their wealth. I suspect this website’s supporters moreso vibe on the latter than the former.
But we’re kind of strange that way.
the real question is the Camry, specifically the higher optioned version have all that many Features missing that are more available in say an M5? (not sure if that is considered luxurious to anyone except maybe americans, but I digress) I would certainly say that Durability and Quality is far better in the Toyota, even base model Camry’s so if that is the case, what high end features are not available in a Camry these days, and is it worth that to own one, or are you just Peacocking. I feel like the Rolex also likely does not take a licking and still keep on ticking.
Rolex actually does make a very robust watch.
As for the Camry vs M5 thing, the M5’s cost of production is also related to the great increase in horsepower (added drivetrain complexity) and its greater size. Interior features are part of luxury, but not the whole picture.
Cars feel very different to drive based on chassis architecture, in many ways other than performance. Likewise, interiors feel very different from each other regardless of features. A house fully furnished with carpenter-built furniture is much nicer to be in than one furnished by IKEA, even if both have the same appliances.
Rolex actually does make a very robust watch
My 1967 Oyster Perpetual Date and 1961 Tudor Oyster Prince (Rolex Air King case) would strongly agree with this statement. I inherited both from my dad. Keep them serviced and wear them regularly and you’re set for life.
Now that’s some lovely hardware. I just started getting into watches with an old Seiko 5 (7009A) that I plan on rebuilding once I have the time and tools.
The VW Phaeton was released to try to capture those against visible consumption.
It held on until 2016 in some markets (10 years after it left the US-market)
People want to have the Audi badge, and will pay more for it.
What’s a luxury car? A car that is no longer about transportation and utility but braggadocious, ostentatious status symbols that cost more because they can?
Are the foreign brand vehicles designed and built specifically for the Chinese market doing any better than the ones introduced from foreign markets or does it not matter?
Seriously starting to wonder if it’s worth it to compete there at all or to focus elsewhere. Consumer tastes are ever-changing, but the Chinese market seems to be in a very haphazard state right now. Might be worth waiting for them to settle on what they like instead of trying to guess. It’s like if you tried to bring foreign brands to the US in the 1910s.
I’m seeing parallels to foreign film industries trying to appeal to the Chinese market. Sometimes you get a smash hit with a film you didn’t expect them to care about and sometimes a film directed at a Chinese audience is a complete failure.
A lot of foreign brands are struggling in China, whether it’s with cars designed for China or not. People really love the Chinese domestic stuff and it’s not hard to see why. They’re almost all better than anything else in their respective categories. It’s such a huge market and there’s so much money at play that it makes sense why global automakers would want a piece, but I just think they’re too late.
Is it worth the investment to compete with Chinese domestics in their own market rather than bolstering your brand resilience in other markets?
Yes, because China is the largest car market in the world, plus those Chinese domestics will be making it to most other markets soon enough anyways.
Some of them are. The Nissan N7 and one of the very local Toyota bZ#s had notably good sales for a foreign brand EV when they launched a couple months ago. While the Buick GL8 line’s sales are still falling, there’s a lot of interest in the upcoming EV version that aims to offer very competitive tech (6C charging, first to use the next gen infotainment chip, uses Momenta ADAS, etc). It still has a lot of remaining reputation it can tap into as long as they can keep up quickly enough.
A lot of these ‘In China, For China’ vehicles still haven’t been released yet.
The line between mass-market and luxury has been blurred to oblivion. It’s not features that make luxury; near-base Kias have heated and ventilated seats and you can get an Outlander with massage seats.
For me, luxury is most obvious in sound deadening and ride comfort. Which means that not every luxury car feels like a luxury car to me. Of course, getting beyond the luxury cars I can realistically shop gets you to things like bespoke interiors, but that’s hyper luxury or whatever you want to call it.
So aCitroen DS 21 from the 1970’s
I’ve never been in one, but I suspect it meets the criteria of quiet and comfortable. Plus it looks cool, so that’s a bonus.
Apropos of nothing, I had to request a login code for The Autopian due to a computer update at work and the code was PHUCGV. Was this Uncle Adrian expressing his opinion of his recent Yugo adventure in code?
Blondshell is pretty cool, so I approve this message.
I’m glad Ford takes pride in working with Police forces. Good on them for that. Sure, Cops can be assholes, when pulling someone over for a burned out tail light or speeding can literally put their lives in danger, I get it. If a few silly cop cars can keep these guys a little happier in their day job, all while they are getting paid peanuts for risking their lives, I’m in full support. And if they got that particular Mustang through a legitimate confiscation, well even better.
On the tail ight issue, why not just run the tag and send them a notice to appear with a fixed tail light at the local cop shop in 30 days. Dont show? get fined. Risking your life to pull over someone with a small issue is stupid with a capital S. Then again, I think some cops do it due to their desire to intimidate and show their power. For sheer coolness, the Saudi cops with Lambo’s win the day
Aluminum fire?
Underscored by massive tariffs, limiting your options, and increasing the base costs.
Tariffing your nearest peaceful neighbour who supplies the majority of your aluminum, and treating them as a target for hostile takeover – rather than a neighbour that you’ve worked with over the last century working together and a happy contributor to your own success over those 100 years.
Ok, sure, but how else do you push your isolationist agenda to such a close neighbor?
That’s a serious question. Because clearly the president doesn’t know. If you could help him out that’d be great.
A luxury car is any car I can’t afford to buy until it loses 90% of it’s value in 15-20 years
This comment deserves the kudos.
I feel seen.
You forgot to finish your sentence. I’ll do it for you:
. . . and then I can’t afford to keep on the road.
The w126 in my profile pic has been on the road for the last 4 years, thank you very much! lol
Props to you, then. Sweet car.
It helps that I was a diesel tech for 17 years. Lol
Since I have limited wrenching skills, I stick with old Lexuses. My comment was really directed at non-car folks who need a car and scrape together $5-10k and then opt for an old Volvo/Benz/Audi because they’re the same price as a Camry.
Rule #1 of old luxury, if you can’t do the labour, you can’t afford it.
I can’t possibly roll my eyes hard enough. I was hoping Ford and it’s PR people would avoid the… targeted… rhetoric of Jeep and Ram advertising. Then again, with the mountain of recalls and quality issues, I guess a more banal marketing approach may work well.
It’s either this or “Quality is Job…meh, we’ll get around to it”.
That had to retire “Built Ford Tough” because the cars kept breaking in ways formerly unknown to mankind.
“Built Ford? Tough!”
JINX!!!!!
Look at us! Synced up for a Premier Autopian Gag (PAG).
This would be a great ad. GM ad, that is.
“Built Ford? Tough!”
They just didn’t specify which quality was job 1.
Corporate Profits of course
Every new car is a luxury car. Every new car is a muscle car. People can’t afford new cars anymore, stuck buying used.
God using a Mustang to fight reckless driving is so delightfully ironic. Anyway what a great use of government funds! We can’t afford to give kids lunch at school but we can buy Mustang GTs for cops in case the gun strapped to them at all times and qualified immunity don’t make them feel manly enough. I’m sure half of them can’t even spell GED if you spot them a letter but why not give them a 2 ton land missile anyway? It’s not like cops have any history of being reckless assholes that endanger everyone, right?
With regard to the Chinese market what really frustrates me is that it’s ruining everything for the rest of us. Every automaker sees it as a cash cow (I mean…fair enough) and it’s been one of the driving forces behind the rolling tech monstrosities luxury automakers are shitting out in addition to the “more is more” styling approach brands like BMW have cursed us with.
If you’ve made piles of gaudy, tech laden, tasteless cars for that market and they’re not even selling there maybe change your approach and get back to what luxury buyers actually want? It could differentiate your product and offer more success in the US and EU. Guess what? Many buyers still want old school luxury. Nice materials/touch points, quiet interiors, real wood and aluminum trim, etc in a vehicle that’s built to last forever and not be tossed out like a fucking phone every 3 years.
We’ve reached peak screen and the market you’re bending over backwards for doesn’t even want your screen machines. Get back to making actual luxury cars like…yesterday.
Good chance the Mustang was confiscated, not bought.
“Bilked, Not Bought”
It’s especially shortsighted because eventually China will pull the rug out from all of the US automakers. It’s already happening for Tesla.
Yeah, when he claimed that China is leading in the taste department, it got a severely raised eyebrow from me. A couple of exceptions do not a rule make.
Luxury is a feeling of bliss. A hard won feeling of something hard to obtain without sacrifice on your part or others. A top trim Ford F150 is as luxurious as an older Lincoln Town Car.
For me, luxury is about quality of materials and manufacture, not features. Cadillac stopped being a luxury car when they began using the same materials and general chassis design as the rest of GM.
One of the reasons I went with Mazda for my CUV was because the materials and quietness felt a step above Honda or Toyota.
Yep. Go sit in any mid-80s Mercedes. It feels like it was made from one object.
Now it’s about whether or not mom still has an active subscription for her Mercedes GLE for it to automatically dispense Mercedes-branded fragrances. Whether you can change the footwell lighting. How noticeable the front badge or grill graphic is.
Go sit in a Lexus LC. A Bentley Continental. An 812 Superfast. Those feel proper. Ideally it’s all then coupled to a powertrain that either is very interesting, or simply effortless. All in something that can be quiet when you want it to be quiet.
I looked into an XT5 or 6 awhile back and was SHOCKED at the interior materials. So disappointing.
I’ll be honest… I had to look up what an XT5 even was. Is it bad that I thought it was simpler to differentiate the vehicles when we had monikers such as DeVille. XT5 and XT6 are just meaningless to me. ????
Luxury in my eyes is all quality. It’s not the gizmos and tech. Once automakers went to all plastics for everything, they lost the luxury moniker. Give me wood, real leather and thick metal that feels solid. This synthetic world we turned into just makes a base model Leaf, just as luxurious as a Tesla model S.
Exactly this, and it’s certainly a large part of why Mercedes EV models (And ICE models to a lesser extent) are doing so horribly on the used market, even compared to it’s rivals. Their build quality in the past 10 years has fallen so quickly, their cars don’t hold up well, and they don’t actually feel nice to be in. It’s all chintzy star logos across every single surface.
One way that I think shows this best is look at what the ultra-rich wear on a daily basis, it’s not Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, all plastered with brand logos in big letters. No, they wear basic looking clothes that cost thousands, because it’s made to the highest standard with the best materials and fit perfectly. That’s luxury.
Luxury EV’s in general have all plummeted in price Audi and Volvo’s you can get used ones that are only a 2 years old for almost half of what they new or even less. I have stated here before reason why I got a used Polestar 2 the price was hard to pass up I could have looked at getting a brand new Equinox ev or something else in the 30-35k range but the 2’s were sub 30k with 50k miles or less. I know “luxury” cars in general deprecate the worst but the EV ones have been on a whole nother level.
I consider Lexus, Volvo, and Genesis to be luxury, however BMW / AUDI / MB I consider trendy. They’re almost the same thing but the first is meant to be enjoyed long term, and the latter for a short while until the next new thing comes up. Same as with clothing.