NICE RIDE! Sarasota and Manatee are among Florida's leaders when it comes to the number of luxury vehicles on the roads -- and the evolution of the high-end automakers

It's not just luxury houses that abound in Southwest Florida: Extravagant automobiles are abundant, too.

So much so that brands like Rolls-Royce, Maserati, Lamborghini and Infiniti account for a larger percentage of cars on the road in Sarasota County than just about anywhere else in the state.

According to registration figures compiled from public records by the Herald-Tribune, 139 of every 1,000 cars in the county sport luxury emblems on their grilles -- the sixth-highest ranking in all of Florida.

"Whether it is image or just 'feel-good,' who knows what it is?" said Wade Tucker, who manages three luxury car dealerships on Clark Road in south Sarasota -- Wilde Lexus, Wilde Jaguar and Wilde Maserati.

But the definition of luxury is getting fuzzier every year.

While there are no low-end Bentleys, for instance, automakers from BMW to Mercedes-Benz to Maserati have been edging toward less-affluent buyers.

"What they are really trying to do is get Toyota and Honda customers," said Larry C. Morgan of Tampa, who owns 11 dealerships including Toyota of Tampa Bay, Brandon Honda, BMW Sarasota and Lamborghini Sarasota.

"Now, you can get the least-expensive BMW for the same price as, frankly, almost a mid-priced Toyota," Morgan said.

Case in point: While the more powerful Jaguars in Wilde Jaguar's showroom sell for $80,000 to $125,000, the brand also boasts an entry-level car, the XF, priced at $45,000.

A year ago, the price of a new lower-end Maserati would have been $120,000. But the Italian car company has since come out with a production model called the Ghibli, which carries a sticker price at a relative bargain of $66,000.

"It is an entry for them," said Tucker, the Wilde Maserati manager. "For the people who want to step up to a high-end car, but don't necessarily want to pay $100,000 for it."

Lowering the floor

In the auto business and elsewhere, such techniques are referred to as "lowering the affordability floor," said Jeremy Acavedo, a senior automotive analyst at researcher Edmunds.com.

While Maserati's Ghibli is the most dramatic example of that strategy, other carmakers are following suit, Acavedo said.

Mercedes-Benz, he notes, now has a car called the CLA with a sticker price that starts at just above $30,000.

BMW, meanwhile, has unveiled its 1 Series, aimed at roughly the same market, and Porsche has a compact SUV called the Macan "which is going to drive down the price of getting into a Porsche," said Acavedo.

While some might argue that dialing down the price on entry-level luxury cars cheapens their brand, analysts say the strategy is prudent.

Morgan said, "We haven't had any people worried about that."

The idea is to build brand loyalty among younger drivers, he said.

"A young person will buy a 1 Series BMW, and three years later they might buy a 3 Series, and five years after that, a 5 Series," Morgan said.

BMW's 1 Series starts just under $30,000. A 3 Series coupe sells for $40,000 to $60,000, while a 5 Series runs from roughly $50,000 to $75,000.

Collier is No. 1

In Sarasota, Clark Road has become home to a number of high-end car dealerships.

But those searching for a new Rolls-Royce would have to head to Hillsborough, Collier, Broward or Miami-Dade counties.

In Collier -- home to Naples and Marco Island -- 209 out of every 1,000 cars are among the 13 luxury brands tracked by the Herald-Tribune in its registration analysis.

That makes Collier No. 1 among Florida's 67 counties for its high-end-car mix.

Palm Beach County comes in second using that measurement, followed by Miami–Dade, Broward, and Martin counties.

Sarasota County ranks sixth statewide; Manatee County 11th.

In Sarasota, there are nearly 9,000 Mercedes vehicles and 7,000 BMWs, records show. The county's registered cars also include 48 Rolls-Royces, 101 Maseratis, 132 Ferraris and 21 Lamborghinis.

Manatee has 25 Rolls-Royces, 60 Maseratis, 49 Ferraris and 13 Lamborghinis registered.

Growing market

Some of the luxury carmakers are greatly expanding their lines to meet demand in a recovering economy.

German carmaker BMW has expanded so much that it is asking dealers -- including BMW Sarasota -- to expand their showroom floors to accommodate new models that include SUVs, crossovers and even electric vehicles.

"Right now, BMW has a constant flood of new models coming," Morgan said.

He became familiar with manufacturer demands when opening a Lamborghini showroom on Clark.

"The more expensive the brand of car, the more expensive the facility is," he said.

Lamborghinis, for instance, are typically priced from about $230,000 to $550,000.

For the brand's Sarasota showroom, specifications involving lighting, cabinetry and even furniture style came from Italy.

"The floor tile had to come from Italy," Morgan said. "We could have bought tile in Sarasota that you or I would say, 'This is the same thing, and it is 20 percent of the price.' But we had to buy it from Lamborghini's specified tile manufacturer. There was no negotiation."

But the extra expense may have paid off, as evidenced in the pride Morgan has in his two-year-old Lamborghini Gallardo.

"When I start that thing, my hair stands up," Morgan said. "The roar of that engine just gets me fired up."

Jaguar 48 Sarasota 25 Manatee Maserati 101 Sarasota 60 Manatee Ferrari 132 Sarasota 13 Manatee Lamborghini 21 Sarasota 13 Manatee