Luxury vehicle growing interest in luxury vehicles from emerging markets such as China and Russia. The entry-level luxury segment has been very competitive, and there has been price-overlapping with well-equipped non-luxury cars. For example, in Canada, several luxury manufacturers set sales records in August 2009, due mostly to aggressive incentives on entry-level luxury vehicles. In September 2009, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Audi all saw their Canadian sales increase by more than 10 per cent compared to a year earlier, despite overall Canadian auto sales being down 3.5 per cent compared to September 2008. The head of Mercedes-Benz Canada suggested that the brand
Toyota concept vehicles (2000–2009) was first shown at the February 2001 Chicago Auto Show. The RSC was designed by Calty as a 'pure concept vehicle', with no intention to go into production but to 'connect emotionally with young buyers'. Design cues came from rally cars used in the World Rally Championships, with functional lines, a lack of luxury features and 'designed to convey the sparse, functional simplicity of a race car'. The RSC was based on the RAV4. The RSC was never made into a production vehicle. The FCHV-3 (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle 3) was the third vehicle built by Toyota in its Fuel