QOTD: What Do The Exotics Know That We Don't?
The cost of gas is rising rapidly. So, too, is airfare, in part because of the cost of oil. Tariffs have hit certain parts of the economy hard. People are complaining about the cost of living -- and the cost of new cars. I hear talk from the experts about a "K-shaped" economy.
Yet Rolls-Royce and Maybach are putting out high-end new products.
Rolls has a new coach-build collection planned, while Maybach is working on a minivan. Seems like an odd time to make a product gamble.
On the other hand, the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent are probably so deep-pocketed that they're more-or-less immune to the economy. I doubt Jeff Bezos is reducing his mega-yacht order this year.
It's also almost NFL Draft time -- there will be some newly minted millionaires next month.
So, which is it? Do the exotic brands see something that's cause for optimism? Or is it simply that these brands cater to customers who don't feel any economic pain, no matter how bad it is for the rest of schmucks?
Sound off below.
[Image: Rolls-Royce]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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"Good evening. This is an extraordinary period for America's economy. Over the past few weeks, many Americans have felt anxiety about their finances and their future. I understand their worry and their frustration. We've seen triple-digit swings in the stock market. Major financial institutions have teetered on the edge of collapse, and some have failed. As uncertainty has grown, many banks have restricted lending. Credit markets have frozen, and families and businesses have found it harder to borrow money."
GW Bush
Address to the Nation on the National Economy
September 24, 2008
My question is, how come that every president that runs (or not - it happened few times), constantly talks about saving America. From whom?
And you're saying Bentley. Save some rice.
Gladly answer your questions:
"Then please explain just who is paying the cost of the tariffs. The average cost of a barrel of oil:"
2026: (March) $103 - $108 per barrel - Not brought about by tariffs but rather the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz
2025: -$70 - $72 per barrel - Price went down under Trump Administration (even though it's only been months) Not anything to do with Tariffs
2024: $71 - $73 per barrel - Biden Admin Not Tariffs
2023: Mid-$70s per barrel - Biden Admin Not Tariffs
2022: Frequently >$100 - Biden Admin Not Tariffs
2021:$68 - $71 per barrel - Biden Admin Not Tariffs
2020: $39 - $42 per barrel - Trump Admin Best yet nothing to do with Tariffs.
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