What comes to mind when you hear the word luxury? Is it expensive? Or rare? Before diving into the luxurious vehicles offered in America, let us briefly gain an understanding of the word luxury.
You will see that luxury is more of a feeling and impression. American luxury car brands are one industry that has redefined luxury.
Luxury can refer to comfort, elegance, and prestige. It is highly desirable but, you guessed it, expensive, and it is exclusive because only the rich can afford it.
The pristine leather, premium wood, metal trim in the interior, and expensive body paint all give off the feeling of luxury.
Luxury vehicles are equipped with high-tech safety features besides premium materials in the construction.
Most new vehicle innovations first appear on luxury cars before making their way down to affordable cars.
If you want to get that extra space and high-end infotainment system, be ready to dig deep into your wallet.
Luxury cars are expensive, and luxury cars are not restrictive in terms of vehicle type. Ooh, did I mention the air conditioning system? It is top-notch.
Some other features you are sure to find on luxury vehicles include a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled seats, massaging seats, eight to sixteen-way seat adjustments, and freezers, among others.
Luxury cars can come as sedans, trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. Whichever you are looking for, you are sure to get multiple options from American luxury car brands.
Before you write off luxury cars as too expensive, hear me out first. Did you know that most luxury car offerings come with exclusive after-sales service?
The kind you can not get with their affordable option. This will undoubtedly help you save up some cash you would otherwise use to service your car.
Luxury cars come with excellent quality materials that will last you a long time. The leather seats will not tear out, the paint job will look great years down the line, and many others.
In addition, luxury cars tend to have good resale value, and they depreciate much more slowly than your average car.
So, if you suddenly feel the need to sell it off, I bet you will get a reasonable price for it.
American luxury car brands have luxury options in every class of vehicle you desire. Maybe you are a family man or woman and need a full-sized SUV for your family’s needs.
There is no better place to search than among American luxury car brands.
Core American manufacturers love manufacturing relatively large cars, and they like the road dominance size brings.
Now, let us look at the American luxury car brands, their iconic history, progress, and spectacular luxury offerings.
1. Cadillac
When the American vehicle manufacturer General Motors needed a brand to design and build their luxury and high-end vehicles, they did just that with Cadillac.
Cadillac is a division of General Motors with an established presence in the United States of America, Canada, and far away from China.
Cadillac models are found in 34 markets globally. Cadillac vehicles are at the top of the luxury car ladder in the United States.
They made an impressive brand record in 2019, selling over three hundred and ninety thousand units worldwide. Wow, that is impressive, and Cadillac has something right there.
In the world, Cadillac has its name among the first automobile companies. They are, however, fourth in the United States, behind Autocar company, Oldsmobile, and Buick.
Oldsmobile and Buick are both brands belonging to General Motors. Autocar company was established in 1897, Oldsmobile in 1897, and Buick in 1899.
Cadillac got its name from the famous founder of Detroit, Michigan, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. The logo used by Cadillac is also based on the coat of arms.
Before being bought by General Motors in 1909, Cadillac was already a famous brand in the American luxury car brands sector.
Have you ever wondered how automobiles came with interchangeable parts? Well, think no further.
Cadillac was designed with interchangeable precision parts, which formed the foundation upon which modern mass-production techniques are based.
Cadillac has always been a leading brand in technological innovations. They introduced fully electrified systems, a cashless system for manual transmission, and a steel roof.
The company’s V8 engine and two other engines became a gold standard in the American car industry.
The interchangeability of precision parts enabled Cadillac to win the Royal Automobile Club of the United Kingdom’s Dewar Trophy. This made them the first United States car brand to win the trophy.
This award gave Cadillac the slogan “standard of the world.” Cadillac still went on to win the award again in 1912 after previously winning it in 1908.
The 1912 award was made possible by incorporating electric starting and lighting into their production vehicle.
Cadillac introduced the “Art and Science” design philosophy in the year 2000 was their philosophy for the 21st century.
The design incorporated thoughtful design, crisp edges, and sheer forms, which boldly expressed and invoked the high-end technology used to design it.
The new design philosophy quickly became dominant in the original CTS and the Cadillac XLR roadster.
As of then, Cadillac’s models were predominantly rear and all-wheel drive vehicles, including their sedans, roadsters, crossovers, and full-size SUVs.
Only the compact executive Cadillac BLS and the Cadillac DTS front-wheel drives were exceptions. Surprisingly, the Cadillac BLS was not sold in North America.
The Cadillac BLS and the DTS are no longer being produced. The BLS was simply a rebranded version of the Saab 9-3, and it was developed in Trollhattan, Sweden, by the Saab company. The BLS was offered as either a sedan or a station wagon.
The Cadillac STS became the successor to the Cadillac Seville in 2005. The Cadillac Seville was introduced in 1988, and it was an upscale performance-oriented version of the STS and the comfort-oriented SLS.
The STS means Seville touring sedan and the SLS stands for Seville luxury sedan.
Cadillac STS received a much-needed upgrade from the Northstar system in the coming years, including the aluminum DOHC L37 Northstar V8 engine.
This titan in the American luxury car brands had the STS as its most expensive sedan, and the pricing was in between the mid-size CTS and the full-size DTS.
The Cadillac DTS was previously known as the Deville, and the STS was known as the Seville.
In 2006, as Cadillac continued adopting the Art and Science nomenclature across its lineup, the DeVille and the Seville nameplates were changed.
The Catera was replaced with the CTS. 2005 was the last year the DeVille branded car was produced in the Detroit/Hamtramck assembly plant.
To provide direct competition to the BMW M5, Cadillac introduced the second-generation CTS-V. This was a performance-based sedan.
The CTS-V had the OHV 6.2L LSA V8 supercharged engine in its powertrain.
The automatic variant of the CTS-V set a record for sedans when it completed the Nürburgring lap in 7:59.32. The last full-size DTS was produced on May 27, 2011.
The 2013 Cadillac XTS model introduced in 2012 replaced the DTS. In the same year, Cadillac also introduced the 2013 model of the Cadillac ATS, with the coupe version introduced two years later.
Since the Fleetwood was discontinued in 1996, it took Cadillac to introduce a full-size rear-wheel-drive sedan. In 2016, Cadillac introduced the CT6 as a full-size rear-wheeled sedan.
The Book by Cadillac, a vehicle subscription service launched in New York City in 2017, later expanded to Dallas and Los Angeles.
During the North American International Auto Show, the seven-seat mid-size crossover SUV model came into Cadillac’s lineup by introducing the Cadillac XT6 on January 12, 2019.
The Cadillac XT6 was sold as a 2020 model. Other 2020 models introduced into the Cadillac lineup include the mid-size luxury sedan, the CT5, and the compact CT4 sedan.
The CT5 and the CT4 replaced the CTS and the ATS. Later in 2020, the CT5 and CT4 performance variants were also introduced.
Now, let us look at one of Cadillac’s most iconic luxury offerings, the Escalade.
The Escalade was Cadillac’s first primary vehicle manufactured for the SUV market, and it is a full-size luxury SUV produced by General Motors.
The Escalade was Cadillac’s response to competition brands such as the Mercedes M-Class, the Range Rover, and the Lexus LX SUV. It also rivaled the famous Lincoln Navigator introduced by Ford in 1998.
The Escalade name was not chosen at random. Escalade is a warfare tactic for a siege involving climbing defensive walls using ladders or siege towers. The Cadillac Escalade is manufactured in Arlington, Texas.
Cadillac offers the Escalade through its European and Asian sales channels, and it is also majorly sold in North America.
Cadillac debuted the Fifth generation Escalade in 2020 for the 2021 model, and sales began in 2020.
Despite delays posed by the pandemic, General Motors maintained plans to supply their dealerships as scheduled.
Cadillac showcased the vehicle using its recently launched 3D visualizer to increase its hype before release.
The Escalade currently comes in 5 trim levels. The luxury, the premium luxury, the sport, the premium luxury platinum, and the sport platinum.
There are eight different trim options for the interior with four unique seat designs. They also have the new AKG audio technology that uses 36 high-end speakers in the cabin.
2. Lincoln
Ford introduced its luxury brand, the Lincoln, in 1922. The Lincoln Motor Company was named after the American president, Abraham Lincoln, and it was established by Henry M. Leland in 1917 and acquired by Ford in February 1922.
The American automobile company Ford established Lincoln as its luxury brand for other American luxury car brands, and it is a direct competition to the models from General Motors Cadillac.
The 1940 Lincoln Continental made Lincoln a well-established brand in the personal luxury car category, which also brought the personal luxury car category to prominence.
Just after the Second World War, Ford paired Lincoln with their mid-range brand Mercury to enhance its competitive advantage.
The pairing was then referred to as the Lincoln-mercury division. Throughout the lifespan of Mercury, the pairing existed, and it ended in 2010 as Mercury closed up shop.
By 2012, Lincoln went back to being referred to as Lincoln. It is the only surviving luxury brand of the Ford company after the closedown of Mercury and splitting the Premier Automotive Group into Jaguar, land Rover, Aston Martin, and Volvo.
The Continental was not originally a Lincoln product; it was a brand division on its own. It was brought under Lincoln in 1959.
The Mark series, a Continental-branded series, was marketed using Lincoln in 1969, and it later adopted Lincoln as its name in 1986.
The Continental Mark II badge introduced in 1956 gave birth to the famous Lincoln four-point star logo, and it was modified in 1980 and remains to this day.
Lincoln currently has luxury vehicles ranging from crossovers to Sport-utility vehicles.
Among the American luxury car brands, Lincoln has produced limousines that were adopted as official vehicles for United States presidents. It also has other limousines.
Lincoln made massive sales globally in 2017, selling 188,363 vehicles. In the Middle East, except Iran and Syria, Lincoln has recorded sales as it is officially present.
It is also sold in China and South Korea. So, Lincoln is not an American luxury car brand limited to North America’s shores.
Ford wanted to keep the Lincoln brand different from its offerings, and it ensured that Lincoln had separate teams for design, product development, and sales.
Lincoln then progressed to capture the market of luxury customers who just wanted a luxury car for themselves.
The Lincoln models had some major overhauling in designs in 2013 rebranding efforts.
The MKZ was the first product of the rebranding. The MKZ adopted a different exterior from the Fusion and Mondeo, though they had slight commonalities.
The MKZ’s exterior retained parts from a concept car released in 2012. The MKZ bow-wing grille design was incorporated into the MKS and the MKT exteriors.
Lincoln further expanded and completely established new trim levels for their products.
They were Premier, Select, and Reserve. Those names are pretty catchy among American luxury car brands.
The trim levels expanded to all the other models Lincoln offered. 2015 The Lincoln MKC, a compact crossover sport utility vehicle, was introduced.
It was based on the Ford Escape and became the first car produced solely by Lincoln using four-cylinder engines.
Now, the famous Lincoln Navigator. A car with a commanding presence. The navigator had a massive redesign. The exterior and interiors were redesigned.
Lincoln chose the 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6 engine used on the F-150 as the standard engine for the navigator. Wow, a navigator without a V8 engine.
The Lincoln Continental was revived in 2017 to replace the MKS. It is the car with the most extended wheelbase produced by Lincoln.
It had a completely new design philosophy, and it came with a rectangular grille. Lincoln introduced their black label program and spread it across all its vehicles with the Continental.
Black Labels were the flagship trim levels for the Lincolns. The exterior and interior designs were top-notch, and you had one of the most highly customized customer services tuned to your personal preferences.
The fourth-generation Lincoln Navigator was released in 2018. It incorporated the rectangular grille used in the Lincoln Continental.
Do not confuse the navigator with the Ford Expedition; the taillamps and blacked-out roof pillars are enough to tell you it’s a navigator.
The Lincoln Navigator L black label is currently the most expensive vehicle sold by Ford, excusing the Ford GTs.
The Lincoln Nautilus replaced the MKX in 2019 when Lincoln ditched the MK name.
The Continental is a well-known American luxury car brand, and the imposing sedan is hard to forget as it cruises past you.
During the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Continental, Lincoln revealed the coach door edition. That sounds nice already.
The 6-in stretched wheelbase offered passengers more legroom. The roof was longer, leading to a more extended rear door and rear window.
The rear-hinged door style was reintroduced in this model. The particular coach door edition had only 80 units made in 2019. The model has continued with a 2020 model available.
Since 2018, American luxury car brand Lincoln has launched a redesigned full-size navigator, the Nautilus with a five-seat design, and the seven-seat aviator.
The Corsair, which is a compact model, has also been launched.
3. Chrysler
When you speak of the big three carmakers in the United States, Chrysler seats comfortably among them.
It has its headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and the Dutch-domiciled company Stellantis owns Chrysler as its subsidiary.
Stellaris also uses the brand names Dodge, Jeep, and Ram on its cars sold worldwide. Stellaris owns Mopar, which is its division for automotive parts and accessories, and the SRT, which is its division for performance cars.
Walter Chrysler founded Chrysler in 1925. Since then, it has had quite a change of ownership. Daimler-Benz acquired Chrysler in 1998, renaming it DaimlerChrysler.
2007 Chrysler operated as Chrysler LLC in 2007 and 2009, and Chrysler Group LLC after Daimler divested it.
Fiat S.p.A acquired it in 2014 as a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles merged with PSA Group (Peugeot Societe Anonyme) to form Stellantis in 2021. Chrysler has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 2021.
Water Chrysler was a former worker at Buick, where he learned the brand diversification and strategy for hierarchy used by General Motors. He used this knowledge extensively when he established Chrysler.
Walter Chrysler acquired the Fargo trucks and the Dodge brothers company. He established the cool brands Plymouth and Desoto in 1928.
In 1954, Chrysler chased major expansion and upgraded designs, and it borrowed about $250 million to achieve this.
With this money, this American luxury car brand could expand into Europe. It acquired companies in Britain, Spain, and France to get this control.
Chrysler partnered with Mitsubishi Motors for engineering to increase its US import competition. After rebranding them as Dodge and Plymouth, it sold Mitsubishi vehicles in North America.
The United States government later saved Chrysler from bankruptcy in 1979 with a $5 billion loan. In the 1980s, the company returned to a profit-making business.
The Diamond Star motors were created in 1985 due to the expanding relationship between Chrysler and Mitsubishi.
The good Jeep came under Chrysler when it acquired the American Motors Corporation in 1987.
The merger with Daimler-Benz in 1998 was a contentious one among the investors, and this caused Chrysler to be sold to Cerberus Capital Management which was renamed Chrysler LLC in 2007.
Fiat S.p.A began purchasing the rest of Chrysler from the United Auto Workers retiree health trust on January 1, 2014. The purchase was successfully finished on January 21 of the same year.
Chrysler then became a subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A. When Fiat S.p.A was merged into the company in May 2014, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was formed. The merger was completed in August of the same year.
In December 2014, the Fiat-Chrysler merger was officially named the FCA US LLC. Fiat Chrysler has had its dark times among American luxury car brands, and it had to recall about a hundred thousand units in 2019. The units had a 3L V6 EcoDiesel engine with a prohibited defeat device.
The recall cost FCA $311 million paid to the United States civil regulators and $72 million paid for civil penalties.
The recalled vehicles were also repaired, and the affected customers were also paid a whopping sum of $280 million with extended warranties offered.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles spent almost $800 million on settlement.
4. Jeep
For a long time, the Jeep brand was associated with extreme off-roading. It was the kind of car you would take deep into the woods, rocky hills, dirt roads, and desert rides.
Jeep has managed to craft itself a spot among the American luxury car brands.
Jeep has combined its off-road performance with an all-out luxury package in a unique way worthy of emulation.
It has become the go-to brand if you seek a vehicle that can handle itself off-road while giving you much-needed comfort.
Before we go into Jeep’s offerings in the luxury car segment, let us take a moment to explore the history of this master at off-roading.
Stellaris currently owns a Jeep, and it would be best to learn about Atlantis when reading about the Chrysler.
Chrysler acquired Jeep and all its assets from American Motors Corporation in 1987. Jeep currently offers Sport utility vehicles, entirely off-road SUVs, and pickup trucks.
Jeep’s venture into the luxury market began with the production of the Wagoneer in 1963.
About 2400 dealerships currently have a franchise to market Jeep branded models.
Jeep is estimated to be worth about $33.5 billion, and it was the best-selling brand for the Fiat-Chrysler company at the beginning of 2017.
In 2016 Jeep made a global sale of 1.4 million units of Sport utility vehicles. That is an impressive record.
In 1941, the Second World War Jeep associated the name with the light 4×4 used by the military.
Since then, Jeep has become the primary vehicle for the United States Army and its allies.
Jeep has designed many variants to serve the military and civilians alike in many other nations of the world.
Jeep has its headquarters in Toledo, Ohio. Willys-Overland began manufacturing the first civilian-focused Jeep models there in 1945.
The Jeep Wrangler, which came as a replacement for the civilian Jeep, was produced in 1986 and has remained in production since then.
The Wrangler is one model that has become a defining model for the Jeep brand.
The current-generation Grand Cherokee Summit model was awarded the most luxurious car brand in its class.
The Grand Cherokee uses premium materials coupled with exotic craftsmanship and impressive innovations.
Jeep introduced the fifth generation three-row Grand Cherokee with a long wheelbase on January 7, 2021. Later in the year, it added the two-row variant.
The Mack Avenue Assembly complex in Detroit, Michigan, plays host to the assembly of this road titan, the Grand Cherokee L.
The two-row variant is, however, assembled at the Jefferson North Assembly plant.
This plant has been used to assemble the two-row Grand Cherokee since its introduction in 1992.
There are three different four-wheel-drive systems available for the Grand Cherokee.
The Quadra Trac I, the low-range Quadra-Trac II and Quadra-Drive II, and the air-suspended Quadra-Lift. The Grand Cherokee can tow an impressive 7,200 pounds.
It is not just a luxury car meant for smooth roads; it can also drive through two-foot-deep water.
An eight-speed automatic transmission is utilized on all variants of the Grand Cherokee.
