Inner Beauty Drives Auto Sales

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They say it's what's inside that counts. And as far as luxury cars are concerned, nothing could be more true. While a car's exterior lines may attract at first, and a taut, exhilarating driving experience might cement the final purchase, drivers really commune with a vehicle through its interior. And designers know it.



That's why interior design and amenities have become a crucial component of many luxury car pitches. But while some companies outfit with lavish materials -- from cashmere to rare woods -- others focus on high-tech exclusives. For many high-end brands, outlandish interiors are an important point of competitive differentiation.



In the U.S., Volkswagen's Audi luxury brand has been trying hard to catch up sales-wise to its German counterparts BMW and DaimlerChrysler's (DCX) Mercedes-Benz. But throughout the rest of the world, it's often seen as equal to or better than those brands.



Luxe Lives at the Low End, Too

BMW's flagship 7 Series made waves when it first came out, because of its radical design by Chris Bangle. But luckily for fans the interior remained as luxurious as BMW customers expected. The latest version is the same with some head-turning features. On top of advanced multimedia options -- from mobile TV to high-def radio -- the top-of-the-line 760Li can be equipped with a mini-fridge in the back.



Not all luxury interiors are the domain of the highest-end vehicles, though. Audi's littleA3 hatchback is similar in size to the plebian Volkswagen Rabbit. But inside the car is all Audi, with ultra-high-quality materials and many options that are also available on the most expensive cars the company sells. That means the A3, despite being a hatch, can be equipped with toasty heated seats and a panoramic roof that stretches from the front of the cabin all the way to the back.



Toyota (TM), meanwhile, has been enhancing the cachet of the gas-electric hybrid technology it developed for the Prius by making it available in its Lexus luxury cars. Until its flagship LS 600h hits streets in 2008, the most luxurious hybrid on the market is the GS 450h, which starts at around $55,000. Despite being a fully gas-electric hybrid, the car performs like a luxury sedan should, turning in a 0-to-60 time of 5.2 seconds.



Domestic Endeavors

And though the hybrid GS manages comparatively miserly fuel economy, it doesn't make drivers pay for it. High-end luxury cabin features you'd expect include heated and ventilated front seats and a Mark Levinson audio system. Hybrid-only interior amenities include a sophisticated readout of the gas-electric system's innermost workings, displaying changes in fuel economy along the way.



Jaguar's sales, unlike Toyota's or Lexus', may be tanking. But the company does produce one of the most luxurious interiors in any pricey convertible on the market. Its trademark center console is lined in the soft-grain leather that's also wrapped around the seats and door sills in the most poshly equipped trim lines.



Not all the best interiors come from abroad. General Motors (GM), in the midst of a tough turnaround, has made drastically improving interior quality one of its major corporate goals. New versions of its Cadillacs show the effort starting to pay off.



Customize to the Hilt

The interior of its new, gaudy Escalade EXT pickup is awash in high-quality materials that feel good and solid to the touch. Besides traditional fine leather seats -- both heated and cooled -- and fancy wood trims, unique high-end features include an in-dash DVD player that can even read DVD-R discs.



Of course, the most extravagant fare is the most costly. Ferrari's race-bred cars have adopted more comfortable trappings in recent years. And the interior of the $255,000 599 GTB looks less like a stripped-down race car and more like what a high-end luxury supercar ought to.



The top of the interior luxe ladder is occupied by Rolls-Royce, however. Its flagship car, the hand-made Phantom, can be customized nearly infinitely. And for more than $300,000, that should be the case. So many details are up to personal taste that company officials joke that no two Rolls have ever left the factory configured exactly the same.



Click here to take a look at the most luxurious interiors of 2007.