Driving downmarket.(Headliner lower end of luxury car market)

Byline: TAMARA WARREN

When everyone drives a luxury car, will anyone notice?

Remember when seeing a Porsche stopped next to you at a red light was a reason to catch your breath? Or when a passing Benz or BMW was worth a second-or even a third-glance?

The times, they are a'changin'. These days, you might be lapped on the interstate by a fleet of the creme de la creme brands-Benzes, Bimmers, Porsches, Infinitis and Jaguars-not to mention a passel of domestic luxury cars. Yawn.

Despite anxieties over a bunk economy, premium rides continue to capture the hearts and cash of increasing numbers of Americans. And thanks to manufacturers' penchant for driving their brands downmarket, making leaner premium cars at more tempting (read: lower) prices, these bad boys are everywhere. From Mercedes' low(er)-end C-Class models to the so-called affordable Jaguar X-Type and Infiniti's M45 sport sedan (a stripper Q, anyone?), new luxury for the nouveau middle is at its peak.

Overall, the low-end lux niche in the auto market has seen a 15 percent growth rate in the past five years as consumers seek to satisfy their more expensive tastes. For example, the Porsche Boxster, with a base price of $43,000, has seen a 20 percent annual growth rate in sales in the past five years. U.S. sales of the BMW 3 Series nearly doubled from 1997 to 2001.

Fact is, a six-figure income is no longer a prerequisite to owning and driving a luxury car. Nowadays, automakers offer $30,000-to-$45,000 near-luxury and luxury models for those earning in the $50,000 range -a middle-class group that includes teachers, journalists, machinists and even (gasp!) autoworkers. That group makes up a growing percentage of luxury and foreign buyers of everything from the Audi A4 to the ever-popular 3 Series.