1.   And not just any old envelope, but a special luxury brand with a griffin watermark.

2.   And a big, plush sport utility version of its Lincoln luxury brand, called the Navigator, will go on sale in two weeks.

3.   As a luxury brand with democratic ambitions, Prada is caught in marketing limbo.

4.   But Pinault, who owns several luxury brands including Yves Saint Laurent, does not want to sell and probably has enough shares to retain effective control of Gucci.

5.   But the company aims to grow, though not into a mass luxury brand like Gucci.

6.   Buying Regent and working with Four Seasons is cheaper than developing a luxury brand on its own, Nelson said.

7.   Conspicuous exceptions were the two American luxury brands, Cadillac and Lincoln.

8.   Despite an extremely weak automobile market in Germany and the United States, sales of Mercedes and other luxury brands have held up well.

9.   Few things in business are more delicate than the mystique of a luxury automobile brand.