Luxury vehicle car" features were found on luxury cars as early as 2009. Front mounted longitudinal engines with rear-wheel drive (FR) is a common layout of luxury cars. European marques like Mercedes-Benz , BMW , and Jaguar have almost never adopted front mounted engines with front-wheel drive (FF) and retained a lineup mostly or entirely made up of FR cars. Japanese brands such as Lexus and Infiniti also have predominantly FR lineups. The FR layout, while more expensive than the FF, has been retained by these luxury manufacturers as it allows for higher performance engines (particularly the straight-6, V8, and other engine
Toyota Verossa 2001, appeared in conjunction with the "Toyopet Store" alternative called the Progrès, and the "Toyota Store" Brevis. Toyota replaced the aging Toyota Mark II stablemates, the Chaser and Cresta which ended production together in 2000, combining the sporting aspects of the Chaser with the high luxury content of the Cresta, in a vehicle that was smaller than the Toyota Crown, a favorite with Japanese luxury car buyers for decades. The Verossa was a larger version of the Toyota Altezza that appeared in 1998 that became a sales success, offering high performance and luxury with a straight 6 engine and rear