Demand for Exotic and Vintage Automobiles Continues to Rise
The overall demand and average price for exotic, vintage and highline vehicles have continued to increase since 2012. Over that 5-year period, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Aston Martin and Lamborghini have continued as the most popular marques in the PFS portfolio of leased vehicles that represent in excess of $100 million in annual financing, Premier Financial Services (PFS), a specialty finance company.
While the individual price tags for many of PFS’s leased vehicles are well over $1 million, the average vehicle sale price since 2013 was nearly $228,000, representing a more than 19 percent increase over the prior five-year period’s average sale price of $191,000. Over the 10-year period since 2008, owners financed approximately 80 percent of their leased vehicle’s value. And according to PFS, it’s the ability to lease expensive vehicles that has “put dreams in driveways” for many individuals who choose not to purchase their vehicles outright.
“Increasingly, we’re seeing automobile enthusiasts and collectors from all age categorie-”from millennials and GenX-ers to baby boomers-who are unwilling to wait for retirement or to win the lottery before they can acquire the car of their dreams,” said PFS CEO Mitchell Katz. “Although the number of high net worth (HNW) and ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals is growing, the increased demand for exotic vehicles is due in large measure to flexible leasing arrangements that make them accessible immediately.”
PFS estimates that as many as 25 percent of all new and pre-owned contemporary vehicles are leased.
Katz also noted that the majority of exotic and vintage cars owners want to change vehicles every two or three years. In fact, nearly 70 percent of PFS’s leases terminate within 36 months on a 60-month lease.
“That’s another reason why leasing continues to fuel the growth of the high-end car industry,” he said. “Flexible leasing terms can accommodate their desire to try something new or different on a frequent basis. Automobile enthusiasts have an insatiable appetite for fine cars.”
Some of the other exotic marques that have grown in popularity over the past five years include Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Bugatti and Tesla.
