This year appears to be a good one for car sales. While the auto industry as a whole has already seen a 6 percent increase in sales during the first quarter of 2013, the luxury car segment more than doubled that. Sales of these high-end vehicles increased 14.6 percent compared to this time last year, according to the most recent New Car Market Report from Kelley Blue Book.
Nearly 400,000 luxury models were sold in the first quarter, which is the highest amount since 2007. Cars like the Infiniti JX, BMW X1 and Acura RDX performed well in the crossover segment, while the entire market was led by the Lexus RX and Cadillac SRX.
"A lot of luxury customers were waiting to see how things would shake out in the economy and the stock market," Alec Gutierrez, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, told The New York Times. "But they are becoming more and more confident."
Increasing demand for upscale vehicles has allowed automakers to raise prices without sacrificing sales. While this means drivers may have to invest more money in long-term auto repair or a periodic car tune up, it's something many motorists are willing to do in exchange for top-notch amenities and performance.