U.S.-based luxury automaker Cadillac is hopeful to have a car that partially drives itself on the market by the end of the decade, reports Digital Trend.

The car will be able to follow other automobiles and accelerate and brake without a driver manning the controls. However, a driver will need to be attentively monitoring the automobile, as it still cannot intuitively react to many situations without the human touch.

Radar, ultrasonic sensors, GPS, and cameras will be used to control vehicles. Many of the features incorporated in the automated cruise control and braking systems in 2013 Cadillacs will be incorporated in to the Super Cruise package. 

 Even in optimal conditions, Cadillac says Super Cruise will be limited to freeway use.

“The system is designed to ease the driver’s workload on freeways only, in bumper-to-bumper traffic and on long road trips; however, the driver’s attention is still required,” a Cadillac statement said.

An 18-story building made of glass will be built in the upscale “South of Fifth Avenue” neighborhood in Miami Beach, the Miami Herald reports.

The condominium project known as Glass will consist of 10 ultra-luxury residences in an 18-story building. The eclectic single-family residences being developed by the Terra Group will range from $8 to $9 million each. There also will be a three-story penthouse that will be offered at $35 million. Miami-based architect Rene Gonzalez is the designer of the project that will be built at 120 Ocean Drive.

 The oceanfront high-rise will feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls and aim at integrating the indoors and outdoors to highlight the natural beach surroundings and convey a sense of place. “It’s really a unique design,’’ said Terra Group president and chief operating officer David Martin, who could have put three times as many units on the site. “It’s something I don’t think I’ll be able to do again.’’

A recent report indicates that private banks and wealth managers should follow the lead of the luxury industry when it comes to tapping digital technology to deliver customer service fit for the high net worth, high income demographic.

The information stems from a Futurewealth Report by SEI, Scorpio Partnership, and Standard Chartered Private Banking that surveyed 3,477 respondents worldwide with an average net worth of $1.9 million. The survey indicated that financial services are not adequately tapping digital technology to its fullest to improve customer relations. 

Industry insiders are searching for methods for their institutions to effectively leverage online services to retain their upscale clientele, Investment Europe reports.

“It’s obvious the banking and wealth management industry is making strides in using technology and digital communications, but not yet meeting the demands and interests of its clients,” said Joseph P. Ujobai, Executive Vice President, SEI.

“Technology integration and workflow management features available through today’s wealth management platforms are certainly helping, but it’s personal and online relationships that will close the gap between financial services and other industries. Wealth management providers need to recognize and concentrate on what drives the up-and-coming wealthy to select and commit to certain brands.”

Luxury is an experiential event at this beachfront resort in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, as guests are welcomed to suit up and catch their own lobsters, reports Forbes.

Inn By The Sea is an innovator in two ways as the hospitality business goes these days. It offers guests a unique fishing experience, and it is extremely pet friendly as well. The resort, which was named one of Travel + Leisure Magazine’s 2012 World’s Best 500 Hotels, is located just outside of downtown Portland.  

The Inn just created the “Twin Lobster Package,” which includes a hands-on experience in a lobster boat, followed by an epic lobster tasting dinner.   Donning lobsterman’s overalls, guests set sail on the 37-foot Lucky Catchlobster boat in the calm waters of Casco Bay.

A 42-acre luxury community has sprouted up in Kiev. The completion of the mixed-use residential development was a 10-year project.

The buildings consist of three- to five-story buildings designed in the Ukrainian Baroque architectural style that defines the area. The planned upscale neighborhood is a $100-million investment.

The New York Times reports that the developers claim to have sold 75 percent sold of the 398 residences offered for sale. However, only one-quarter of the dwellings are actually occupied at this time.

Before construction began, the area was dotted with old buildings and had three major roads, all in poor condition. The roads have been repaired and a fourth, Honcharna Street, was constructed. The most luxurious of the project’s residential buildings and mansions were built along Honcharna, a dead end, as developers expected it would deter traffic and limit any noise.

The luxury automotive market is growing in both the Middle East and China, as consumers are seeking high-end merchandise to show off their wealthy and prosperity.

More luxury cars are expected to sell in China than the U.S. by 2020, as demand is expected to grow 12 percent per year, according to the McKinsey Quarterly, as reported by China Car Times.  

This taste for the high life in China seems incongruous at a time when the USA and Europe are scaling back from saloons to hatchbacks and tightening their belts for what the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, refers to as “years of austerity.”

Another high-end luxury real estate market is doing well this past quarter.

The median sales price for a condominium in Boston increased by 22.7 percent for first quarter 2013 over the previous year’s figures, the Boston Globe reports. Real estate analysts LINK, provided the information.

In dollars, the median sale price for a condo was $1.4 million during the time frame. The market has performed strongly from 2010 and moving forward.  

In the first quarter, 59 luxury condos were sold, 28.3 percent more than during the same period in 2012. In contrast, just 11 luxury condos sold during the first quarter of 2009, the report shows.

BMW has fallen and Audi is the number-one car in the Indian luxury market in Q1 2013, reports The Economic Times. New of the change of guard stemmed first from auto-blogger Rushlane.    

While BMW tumbled to third place in the standings, as Mercedes-Benz ranked second for the quarter, the automaker remains confident that its business in India is headed in the right direction. Audi has similar sentiments toward its position and feels that it will be number one in the nation’s luxury auto market for 2013 when it is all said and done. Sparks are flying.

"The BMW Group is a very successful global company and continues to strive for a worldwide balance in sales. We will continue to our success story in India in 2013 due to the availability of new models such as the BMW 1 Series in the third quarter and a full year availability of the BMW 3 Series this year," the BMW spokesperson added.

Prices for high-end, luxury real estate rose 5.4 percent in the first quarter 2013 in Dubai, the Arabian Busneiness.com reports.  Dubai experienced price increases on premium properties of 18.3 percent in 2012.

Knight Frank Global Cities Index compiled the info for Q1 2013. Dubai ranked fourth with Jakarta, Bangkok, and Miami being the top three areas with rising prices in its high-end properties.

 Knight Frank said it expects stronger growth to emerge in the second quarter of 2013 as buyers continue to search for luxury bricks and mortar as a way of sheltering their assets from the Eurozone’s continuing turmoil and the fragile global economy.

A test flight by Virgin Galactic on Monday was the biggest milestone in the company’s mission to be the world’s first commercial space liner in its 8.5-year history.

Its SpaceShipTwo aircraft ignited its rocket motor in mid-flight for the first time and sped to Mach 1.2 to reach about 56,000 feet in altitude.

"We never thought it would take this long, but it was worth the wait," Branson said in an interview. "Now that we have accomplished supersonic flight, we feel ready to take the next step. There are an awful lot of exciting things to come."

There are growing concerns regarding the increasing amount of luxury residential real estate in Southern Florida, according to The Miami Herald.

There is approximately 20 months of high-end housing in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties for sale. There would be an inventory of six months of available properties in a healthy market, according to industry pundits. The results from just one quarter is not enough to set off a panic, but there are concerns.

 As the resale activity has slowed in South Florida in 2013, the number of luxury residences on the market has grown to more than 4,550 properties priced at a minimum of at least $1 million each.

A 1913 Liberty Head nickel that was buried in closet of family belongings for more than 40 years has sold at auction for $3.2 million.

The rare nickel is one of five known to exist and there are three available to collectors, according to the auctioneer, Heritage Auctions. Nineteen bids in all were received for the nickel. Jeff Garrett of Lexington, Kentucky, and Larry Lee of Panama City, Fla.,paid $3.5 million for the 1913 Liberty Head nickel.

Heritage Auctions conveyed to the Los Angeles Times that another 1913 Liberty Head nickel sold for $3.7 million in 2010.

A North Carolina collector, George Walton, purchased the nickel in the mid-1940s in a trade for other coins worth about $3,750, according to Heritage Auctions. Walton was carrying the nickel and other collectibles when he was killed in a car crash in 1962 in route to a coin show.

Women who are over 40 are forging a new shape to the world of fashion. They are no longer dressing grandmotherly or trying to look their age. Instead, they are flaunting it fabulously, reports Fox News, and looking as good as they feel. 

 Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow,Halle Berry, and Jennifer Aniston are showing that age has become insignificant to style. It is about perspective and knowing what you feel good wearing. 

It goes both ways though. There are younger women that are going for more sedate and somber look as well.

Anne Hathaway, Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato are also known to routinely take on the grown-up, covered up and conservative red carpet approach too. And while the likes of Paltrow, Aniston and Lopez are proof that middle-aged ladies can look just as svelte and sexy as their decades-younger counterparts, experts caution that age fashion rules aren’t totally extinct.

Is men’s fashion about to go roaring back to the 1920s? With the upcoming film release of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Brooks Brothers, the clothier that clothed the film, is optimistic it will happen. 

It is all in the details. While men’s business suits leave very few opportunities for personal stylization, the selections can define a man’s fashion sensibilities or his lacking thereof.  Fashion designer Tom Ford is aware that there are only few ways men can distinguish themselves by accessorizing.

Recognizing this, Mr. Ford for the past two seasons has included the rounded-edged club collar, a relic of the early 20th century now fashionable once again, in the archive of traditional collar shapes in his eponymous men’s wear collection.

Bentley or Rolls-Royce? Which one is for you?

The Hollywood community of movers and shakers are torn between the two ultra-luxury automobiles. Bentley has changed its image to appeal to both females and a younger demographic. It is no longer a stodgy, old rich guy’s car. It is contemporary looks, high-performance stats, and ecologically correctness makes it especially appealing to younger celebrities.

The new Bentley Flying Spur and the Rolls-Royce Wraith are in a head-to-head battle to be the number one swag car in L.A. The price of the Flying Spur starts at $200,500, and the Rolls-Royce Wraith begins at $295,000. Bentleys did outsell Rolls-Royces nearly two to one in 2012.

Even so, Rolls-Royce registrations in the U.S. last year (slightly more than 800) were less than half those of Bentley, with 19 percent of them concentrated in the L.A. area. This year, though, Rolls is hoping for its own brand-expanding car. At the Geneva Auto Show in March, the company shot directly across Bentley's bow with the unveiling of the Wraith, a superfast, super-expensive ($295,000) coupe built on the Ghost's platform with a silhouette reminiscent of the Bentley GT.

While luxury real estate is selling well in Canada, approximately one-half of the buyers are not from Canada, reports the CBC News.

It is a countrywide situation, as high-end properties in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver area being sold to international citizens or buying groups. Buyers from China, Syria, Mexico, Russia, Egypt, and the Middle East are buying the premium real estate. Calgary has the lowest number of foreign buyers, as only 15 percent of the owners are not Canadian.

A majority of the luxurious single-family are being used as second homes or vacation dwellings and not being “flipped” by investors.

Foreigners buying luxury homes in Toronto are mainly from the U.S., China, Russia, the Middle East and India and gravitate to wealthy enclaves like Rosedale, Forest Hill or the Bridle Path, as well as downtown areas such as the Annex, Yorkdale and Hoggs Hollow.

Asgar Patel, a prominent Dubai-based luxury real estate developer, wants to build a luxury hotel on waterfront property he owns in India.

Patel told Arabian Business that his investment in a $630-million mixed use tower in Bangkok. Which will become Thailand’s tallest building, inspired him to want to build the hotel in India.

The wealthy businessman, who is ranked as one of the most powerful and richest Indians in the Gulf by Arabian Business magazine, has recently invested $100m in two projects in Thailand, with [the] majority of the money going towards the MahaNakhon tower.

Sunseeker will launch three new entries for its Sport Yacht line this summer, Motorboat & Yachting reports. The 68-foot and the 80-foot yachts will Predator equivalents. The 101-foot sports yacht is not directly related to the Predator line.

The 101 Sports Yacht is not as fast as the smaller boats. It has a maximum cruising speed of 30 knots.

The boats will be packed with all the performance of the Predators, with the 80 promising a true wind-in-the-hair experience, able to hit 44 knots if fitted with twin MTU 2,460hp diesels running Arneson surface drives.

These are the most expensive hybrid, luxury automobiles on the road today.

Check back next week and it is likely that this list will be revised. The automotive industry is experiencing a gap of sorts. While consumers want the ultimate vehicles in luxury, high-performance, and ecological correctness, the brands are all hard at work trying to capture those demands in their latest automotive offerings.

These nine vehicles represent the today’s most expensive hybrids on the market … for this week. One of the automobiles is not a hybrid … it is an all-electric supercar… but had to be included due to its overall performance and efficiency.

We know that this car isn't exactly a hybrid but if you're serious about driving an eco-conscious car, you'll have a hard time beating Tesla. The Roadster is a fast two-seat convertible sports car, changing the way people think of 100 percent electric autos. Powered completely by lithium-ion batteries, without a fuel engine, the Roadster comes with a price tag of over $100,000, putting it in league with luxury offerings from brands like Aston Martin and Ferrari. 

From 2009 to 2011, households in the top seven percent of wealth distribution saw a rise in household net worth of 28 percent, according to Pew Research.

The remaining 93 of the households saw a four-percent increase in net worth over the same time frame. The wealthy have diverse financial portfolios, whereas the households of average means tend to have their money tied up in the houses.

From 2009 to 2011, the mean wealth of the 8 million households in the more affluent group rose to an estimated $3,173,895 from an estimated $2,476,244, while the mean wealth of the 111 million households in the less affluent group fell to an estimated $133,817 from an estimated $139,896.