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Weekly Recap: Geneva's splendor reflects growing demand for ultra-luxury cars

Geneva is one of the most glittering auto shows in the world, but the list of high-powered and bespoke luxury cars was decadent this year even by the rich standards of the Swiss exhibition. It's great for enthusiasts to revel in the flame-throwing Aston Martin Vulcan, the racing-inspired elegance of the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept and the insane performance of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce, but there's a reason for all of this opulence: the luxury market is big business. And it's growing. IHS Automotive forecasts that so-called ultra-premium sales will nearly triple this decade from 123,000 to 353,000 units around the world. The estimate includes brands like Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, but doesn't count BMW, Mercedes and Audi, which offer less expensive models in addition to their high-end flagships. Though IHS includes Porsche and its relatively large volume in the study, the ultra-premium segment is still set grow at about the same rate, even without the German automaker's figures. So what is propelling all of this growth in the most expensive segment of the auto industry? Put simply, there's more rich people. IHS Automotive principal analyst Tim Urquhart pointed to economic expansion in China, market recovery in the United States and a surge in the lucrative technology sector as contributing factors. This dovetails with a research report by UK-based Oxfam, an international relief organization, which found the world's richest one-percent owned 48 percent of global wealth in 2014, and it's expected to increase to more than 50 percent by 2016. View 17 Photos Carmakers are moving quickly to capitalize with new products, expanding their portfolios with low-volume speedsters like the 800-hp V12 Vulcan at Geneva, and plans to enter new segments, like Rolls-Royce's strategy to make an SUV. "Ultra-premium carmakers are looking to explore ways of growing their product offerings, and thus their bottom lines, in this most potentially profitable of segments," Urquhart wrote in a report on the Geneva show. In a nutshell, there are more choices for people with more money. It's a good time to have expensive taste. Other News & Notes 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata production launches It won't be long now. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata arrives later this year, and it's officially in production. Mazda announced this week that the roadster began rolling off the assembly line at its Ujina factory in Hiroshima, Japan.

Aston Martin sues supplier Envisage over copyright infringement

Automakers don't make the entire cars themselves. They typically design and engineer them, outsource many of the components to outside suppliers, and put them together at assembly plants. Farming out work to those suppliers can result in some leaks in the automaker's intellectual property, but while that's typically covered in extensive legal documents, disputes can arise. And in this case, it's arisen between Aston Martin and one of its suppliers. That supplier is the Envisage Group, a British firm based in Coventry that has, among its various clients, performed design work for Aston since 2007 and supplied parts and tooling since 2011. That means it has access to certain proprietary information regarding Aston and its products, and now the automaker is claiming the supplier has taken unlawful advantage of that access and its copyrights to further its other businesses. Among its other services, Envisage operates a coachbuilding operation that handles the production of vehicles like the Eagle's customized Jaguar E-Types and the Speedback GT for David Brown Automotive. The latter, pictured here, bears more than a passing resemblance to classic Astons, and the company name itself suggests a certain affiliation as well. However both Aston Martin and David Brown Automotive insist that the lawsuit is unrelated. In correspondence with Autoblog, the latter sent the following statement: Following speculation in recent press reports that David Brown Automotive and Speedback GT are the subject of, or involved in, legal proceedings by Aston Martin Lagonda Limited against Envisage Group Limited, David Brown Automotive can confirm that it, and its products, are in no way implicated and the production of our vehicles continues unaffected by the litigation. According to the report from the Telegraph, the lawsuit filed with the UK's High Court makes specific mention of badges, wheels and headlights belonging to Aston Martin that Envisage has allegedly used in promoting its services. Featured Gallery David Brown Automotive Speedback View 18 Photos News Source: The TelegraphImage Credit: David Brown Automotive Design/Style Government/Legal Aston Martin lawsuit court david brown automotive david brown automotive speedback

Aston Martin hoons its DB10 for 007

It always goes back to Skyfall, doesn't it? On November 6, 2015, we will join James Bond again as he hunts for another piece of his past, one that has grown into a dark, evil creeper known as Spectre. Since Aston Martin is now nearly just as synonymous with Bond as the agent's nemesis Blofeld, it's certain that the carmaker will have just as much fun as we do during the buildup. Or more fun, perhaps, judging by this spot. The rather handsome DB10 is put to work sending the world a message for the spy we love the most, and blows a lot of smoke in the effort. You can watch that in the video above. Speaking of smoke, if you haven't got enough of the pre-release action yet there's another video below with director Sam Mendes and his special effects minions showing what went into creating the practical effects on three continents, like flying a helicopter down a Mexico street. Enjoy both.