Luxury car purchase pattern- a shift ?

According to secondary reports coming out of Detroit, the luxury car buyer in US is showing a shift in his purchase patter:

• most of the luxury car owners who repaced their cars opted for a cheaper model - Buick, Hyundai, for example. While they are willing to down-grade their purchase, the still demand a good finish and reliability, safety.
  
• Apart from buying a cheaper car, another trend is to 'trimming size'. They are opting for smaller cars

Frugality is definitely in. Let us hope it remains for a longer duration, even after the market picks up.
Better awareness on global warming and push by NGO's and government agencies should help too.

A challenge for luxury car brands...