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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.

GMC Terrain Nightfall Edition is murdered-out for the masses

We've lost track of how many special edition Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups there have been over the past few years. But while some special editions can be kitschy, there's nothing overtly bad about the GMC's Nightfall line. We've already seen the blacked-out look on Canyon Nightfall and Sierra All Terrain X pickups, and now, it's being applied to the Terrain. As with the trucks, the Terrain Nightfall's changes are simple: the chrome-heavy finish is replaced with gloss-black accents where applicable. That's what you'll find on the grille surround, the front and rear fascia accents, the license-plate surround, mirror caps, and roof rack. Like Jay Z said, all black everything. Except for the wheels, of course – those have machined faces with black spokes. The grille inserts aren't strictly black either (they're charcoal), and as counterintuitive as it may seem, owners can choose from three body paints in addition to Onyx Black (Summit White, Graphite Gray, and Crimson Red). The Terrain Nightfall Edition will be offered on the SLE-2 and SLT trims, with prices to be announced closer to its fall 2016 on-sale date. GMC Introduces 2017 Terrain Nightfall Edition The News Ahead of its debut at the New York International Auto Show, GMC today introduced the 2017 GMC Terrain Nightfall Edition – a stylized special edition combining blacked-out exterior details and wheels, with popular technologies such as IntelliLink with available 4G LTE connectivity and Wi-Fi hotspot. It joins the Canyon Nightfall Edition and the all-new Sierra All Terrain X as the latest GMC vehicle to offer an exclusive, personalized appearance with the Terrain's premium features and refinement. Product Details The Terrain Nightfall offers an edgy appearance with 18-inch machine-faced aluminum wheels and gloss black spokes, a charcoal grill with a gloss black surround and accents, gloss black front and rear fascia accents, gloss black rear license plate surround trim, gloss black outside mirrors and black luggage rails. Terrain Nightfall Edition will be offered on SLE-2 and SLT models with four exterior color options: Summit White, Onyx Black, Graphite Gray Metallic and Crimson Red Metallic. On Sale Fall 2016 Quotable "Building on its best year ever, Terrain continues to attract new and style-conscious customers to GMC," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC Sales and Marketing.

2022 Hummer EV Edition 1 pickups ready to go to customers

It's official: Two years after GM announced the electric GMC Hummer pickup, the first couple dozen units have left the line at the GM Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center, according to GM president Mark Reuss. In an interview with CNBC to celebrate the milestone, Reuss said 17 Hummer EVs are ready for delivery to customers. This makes the Hummer the first of GM's new Ultium-based EVs to leave the factory, and the second electric pickup on the market after the Rivian R1T. The first 1,200 Hummer EVs made will be Edition 1 models, all of which are Interstellar White outside with Lunar Horizon interiors and bronze badging. Each of the $112,595 pickups is powered by three Ultium motors producing a GM-estimated 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 pound-feet of torque, loaded with features like height-adjusting adaptive suspension, skid rails and rock sliders, 35-inch tires, the diagonal-driving CrabWalk, the launch control system Watts to Freedom that unlocks a three-second sprint to 60 miles per hour, and Super Cruise. Range is a GM-estimated 329 miles when the 200-kWh battery is fully charged. As these filter out to eager owners, GM is prepping the next four phases of the Hummer rollout. About a year from now, in autumn of 2022, Factory Zero will begin production of the first widely available Hummer, the EV3X pickup that starts at $99,995 before destination. Three Ultium motors will provide an estimated 800 horsepower and 9,500 pound-feet of torque to a range estimated beyond 300 miles. Spring of 2023 is expected to deliver the Hummer EV2X pickup at an MSRP of $89,995, utilizing two motors producing a total 625 hp and 7,400 lb-ft over a range also estimated to go beyond 300 miles. Around the same time, the first units of the $105,595 Hummer SUV Edition 1 are planned to head down lines at Factory Zero. Finally, in the spring of 2024, the entry-level $79,995 Hummer EV2 pickup and its two-motor powertrain should arrive, making the same output as the EV2X, but only good for a range of around 250 miles. That won't be all we see from Factory Zero, either. GM invested $2.2 billion in the Detroit-Hamtramck plant that once built bread-and-butter GM fare like the Chevrolet Impala, Buick LaCrosse, and Oldsmobile Toronado in order to turn the facility into its first EV base of manufacturing operations for Ultium products. The battery-electric Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups will be built there, as will the Cruise Origin robotaxi.