2009 The most expensive cars of the year

The 2005 Saleen S7 has a base price of nearly $560,000, which distinguishes it as the most expensive car available in the United States

Revolutions in the auto industry are few and far between, so this year we are not surprised to report that the most expensive automobiles are, again, sports cars.

The average price of a vehicle on the list has gone up to $351,000 from $341,000, an increase of 3 percent. Automakers increase the prices of blueblood automobiles to hedge against inflation, to compensate for disappointing sales or because they have added new features to the cars.

Sometimes the price increases seem like highway robbery. Saleen’s S7, this year’s most expensive car, costs $120,000 more than it did last year. According to Manhattan Motorcars, Saleen’s New York dealer, the price hike is due to modifications to the S7’s V-8 engine, whose horsepower is now up to 575 from 550. Assume for argument’s sake that’s the only reason for the extra $120K on the sticker, and we’re talking about a cost of about $5,000 for each additional unit of horsepower. If Honda Motor charged $5,000 per horse, a high-end Civic would cost about $800,000.