Bentley
Starting price: $203,795
2008 sales through December: 2,693 (all Bentley models)
2007 sales through December: 3,990
Percent change: -32.5%
The Continental GTC convertible made its debut late in 2007 with a big spike in sales based on pre-launch orders, but sales have tailed off since then. With a twin-turbocharged, 552-hp, 12-cylinder engine, it is Bentley's best-selling U.S. model. It would be unusual in other global markets for a convertible to be a best-seller, but typical for the U.S. market, where Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida account for a lot of high-end luxury sales.
BMW 7 Series
Starting price: $125,075
2008 sales through December: 12,276 (all 7 Series models)
2007 sales through December: 14,773
Percent change: -17%
Sales of the flagship 7 Series were down overall in 2008. BMW fans are aware that a redesigned 7 Series is due later this year for 2009. Along with economic uncertainty, that has probably depressed sales last year. The top-of-the-line model is the long-wheelbase 760Li, with a 6.0-liter, 438-hp V-12. The V-8 in the standard-wheelbase 750i and the long-wheelbase 750Li generates 360 hp. At 5.4 seconds, the V-12 is only a fraction of a second faster from zero to 60 mph, because it's heavier than the V-8. V-12 gas mileage is also poor, at an EPA-estimated 13 mpg city/20 mpg highway.
Jaguar
Starting price: $92,700
2008 sales through December: 7,021 (all Jaguar models)
2007 sales through December: 15,683
Percent change: -55%
Jaguar sales were holding up well at the beginning of 2008, thanks solely to the all-new XF sedan, which went on sale in March. But sales fell off a cliff in the second-half of the year, as every other Jaguar model was down, including the XK coupe and convertible. The XKR gets a supercharged version of the 4.2-liter V-8 in the standard XK. That bumps power to 420 hp, up from 300 hp for the naturally aspirated model. In June, Jaguar added a special edition, the XKR Portfolio, with upgraded wood and leather inside, and upgraded alloy wheels and brakes on the outside.
Ferrari
Starting price: $282,306
2008 sales through December: 1,602 (all Ferrari models)
2007 sales through December: 1,749
Percent change: -8.4%
While Ferrari's U.S. sales are down Ferrari North America says its cars have a waiting list, especially newer models like the Ferrari 430 Scuderia. The Scuderia was launched in the U.S. in early 2008. The name means "stable," in Italian, like where the horses are kept (the Ferrari logo is a prancing horse), but it's also the informal name for the Ferrari racing team. The car gets 503 hp from a 4.3-liter V-8. That produces a 0-to-62-mph time (100 kph) of only 3.6 seconds, one of the world's few production cars under four seconds.
Lamborghini
Starting price: $200,000
2008 sales through December: 984 (all Lamborghini models)
2007 sales through December: 980
Percent change: -0.4%
The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is the latest version of the Gallardo, which was first launched in 2003. The new car's direct-injection, 5.2-liter V-10 generates 560 hp, an increase of 40 hp from the previous model. The LP560-4, which reached the U.S. market in June, also weighs about 44 pounds less. With the changes, it's a fraction of a second quicker from 0 to 62 mph, at 3.7 seconds. All-wheel drive is standard. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said the first year's U.S. allocation sold out.
Maserati
Starting price: $113,750
2008 sales through December: 2,509 (all Maserati models)
2007 sales through December: 2,540
Percent change: -1.2%
Showroom traffic is down for Maserati, but those customers who do come in are serious shoppers, and sales are up overall, said Marti Eulberg, president and CEO of Maserati North America in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. "We definitely have a waiting list," she said, especially for the GranTurismo model, which was unveiled last year. The Maserati GranTurismo has a 440-hp, 4.7-liter V-8 that goes from 0 to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds. Top speed is 183 mph.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Starting price: $195,825
2008 sales through December: 17,787 (all S-Class models)
2007 sales through December: 20,255
Percent change: -12.2%
As with the BMW 7 Series and the Lexus LS, sales of the Mercedes-Benz flagship sedan were down in 2008. Overall, U.S. sales for the Mercedes-Benz brand are down although there were two bright spots, the redesigned C-Class, which posted a 12% year-over-year gain, and the M-Class which saw sales inch up a little more than 1%. The top-of-the-line S65 AMG gets the same 604-hp engine as the Maybach 62S.
Roll-Royce
Starting price: $423,000
2008 sales through December: 414 (all Rolls-Royce models)
2007 sales through December: 425
Percent change: -2.6%
Rolls-Royce sales also slipped this year, despite adding a single model, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe last year, which doubled the number of models. Under parent BMW, the Rolls-Royce brand relaunched itself with a single model, the Phantom sedan, which went on sale in the U.S. in May 2003. It was the only model until the convertible version appeared in September 2007. Rolls is also adding a two-door hardtop Phantom Coupe later this year, as is an all-new, smaller and (somewhat) less-expensive sedan.
Pictured: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
Porsche 911
Starting price: $192,560
2008 sales through December: 8,324 (all 911 cars)
2007 sales through December: 12,493
Percent change: -33.4%
Porsche aficionados hung back in the first part of the year because they knew Porsche was about to launch a facelifted 911 model in the fall, with an all-new generation of direct-injection gasoline engines. The new engines get more power with the same or slightly better fuel economy. The Porsche Cayenne SUV got the new engines last year, and sales immediately took off, despite the more general trend away from SUVs. The latest variant of the existing 911 is the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2, with a 530-hp, 3.6-liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine. Unfortunately, sales still slumped.
Jaguar
Starting price: $92,700
2008 sales through December: 7,021 (all Jaguar models)
2007 sales through December: 15,683
Percent change: -55%
Jaguar sales were holding up well at the beginning of 2008, thanks solely to the all-new XF sedan, which went on sale in March. But sales fell off a cliff in the second-half of the year, as every other Jaguar model was down, including the XK coupe and convertible. The XKR gets a supercharged version of the 4.2-liter V-8 in the standard XK. That bumps power to 420 hp, up from 300 hp for the naturally aspirated model. In June, Jaguar added a special edition, the XKR Portfolio, with upgraded wood and leather inside, and upgraded alloy wheels and brakes on the outside.
