Automakers Focus on Luxury Mainstays

Automakers are focusing on luxury cars, such as the Infiniti G35, not SUVs for 2007.

Aside from a few new and redesigned luxury SUVs — including the Acura RDX, Cadillac Escalade and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class — most of the new luxury vehicles for 2007 are passenger cars.

Infiniti's redesigned G35 sedan gains a more powerful 3.5-liter V-6 engine and gets a new interior. Mercedes-Benz's midsize E-Class and retractable-hardtop roadster, the SL-Class, receive modest updates inside and out, while the automaker's redesign of its top-of-the-line S-Class sedan is more substantial; the car can now be equipped with high-end safety features like night vision.

As was the case last year, Lexus has a number of redesigned models on tap for 2007. Its top-selling passenger car, the ES, gains a larger, more powerful engine and is now known as the ES 350. Meanwhile, Lexus' flagship LS sedan has also gone under the knife and emerged as one sleek executive transporter. For the first time, buyers can opt for an extended-length LS that has a 5-inch-longer wheelbase.

Though not as busy as Lexus, Volvo has a new version of its S80 sedan that moves the safety-conscious automaker further away from its boxy cars of the past. If you want, Volvo will even stuff a 311-horsepower, 4.4-liter V-8 engine under the new S80's hood. To better avoid an accident, I'm sure.