Car companies are limiting their production runs as more drivers demand exclusive models
Statistics show that the more exclusive a luxury car is, the more likely it is to find a buyer, leading automobile manufacturers to concentrate on limited series editions of their luxury and super sports car models.
However, this practice is now also spreading to mid-range vehicles as car manufacturers look to maintain sales and improve margins in an increasingly competitive market.
“The smaller the run of cars, the greater the demand,” says Nick Margetts of Jato Dynamics, a German market research company. The policy allows manufacturers with a limited range and selection of vehicles to extend the lifecycle of their cars as well as keeping them in the headlines, Margetts says.
The current top of the range Aston Martin is a prime example. The 559 kW/760 PS V12 sports car is called One-77 because there was a limited run of 77 units. It first appeared at the 2008 Paris Motor Show but was only fully revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.
Ferrari has also rolled out a special edition of just 20 units of its F458 Italia, which the Italian marque hopes will attract sales from rich Chinese drivers during the year of the dragon. The car is finished with a gold dragon on the bonnet and gold rims.
More horsepower
In honour of the Porsche 356, the company’s first production automobile, Porsche has commissioned a run of just 356 cars from the last generation of its 911 Cabrio model.
A similar policy is being followed with the 918 Spyder, the first plug-in hybrid car from Porsche. The Spyder is powered by a 3.4 litre V8 engine, developing 580 horsepower (430 kW), with three electric motors delivering an additional 218 horsepower (163 kW). A company spokesman confirmed that no more than 918 vehicles will be built at a price of €768,026 ($930,584, Dh3.59 million).
The difficulty in obtaining a special-edition sports car has certainly not put off customers.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s telephone numbers, car registration plates or super sports cars, as long as it’s a limited edition our customers are interested,” says Joseph Tayyar, a luxury car dealer in Qatar.
The situation in Qatar is mirrored in places such as Beijing, Moscow and Berlin, Margetts believes. It is no longer enough to simply have the finances necessary to purchase a special-edition super sports car as, by the time it becomes public knowledge that an exclusive range is to be commissioned, there are already enough orders in place from valued customers.
“It’s often the case that a person needs to be a member of an elite circle of super VIPs, someone who knows the private number of the company chair- man, to have any chance of getting an exclusive version of a super sports car,” Margetts says.
Car manufacturers have sometimes found themselves in a predicament because of the policy, not least Lamborghini,
Higher specifications
Mini boss Kay Segler has no such problems with his limited special models of the iconic car, such as the Mini Bakerstreet or Mini Bayswater, which have been named after areas of London.
The run is obviously slightly larger, while Mini also offers vehicles with higher technical specifications such as the sporty John Cooper Works GP. Only 2,000 of the new Mini JCW GPs will be built and sold globally.
Other companies have also tried to emulate the success of limited edition and accordingly exclusive vehicles in lower- range sports cars. The Mazda MX-5 Senshu has a series run of just 200 vehicles while Fiat has only produced 499 Abarth 695 Maserati Edizione cars.
Manufacturers and importers point to the special features and the attraction of owning such an exclusive vehicle. However, purchasing a limited edition car almost always involves paying a higher price than would normally be the case.
Car resale expert Dieter Fess from German company B&F believes special-edition vehicles are well worth the initial extra outlay as they are invariably equipped with all the latest extras as standard. Buying extras in a complete package rather than individually also works out much cheaper.
“Limited edition cars cost more than the basic models but more than make up for this in their resale value due to a much slower rate of depreciation,” says Fess.