The Dallas-based luxury-car group, one of the larger such groups in the United States, postponed a new body shop for its Mercedes-Benz and Porsche dealerships and delayed other additions at its Lexus facility in Plano, Texas.

But after months of lower new-vehicle sales, Park Place and other area luxury dealerships see signs that the lofty segment _ once thought to be recession-proof _ is stirring again. Although luxury car sales remain down 15 percent to 30 percent depending on the brand, many dealers say business has slowly improved.

"This economic cycle has been challenging for everyone, but I believe we hit bottom in the first quarter," said Ken Schnitzer, chairman of Park Place Dealerships, which includes Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Porsche, Maserati, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Volvo dealerships. The group is awaiting final approval for an ultra high-end Bugatti franchise.

"We're dusting our plans off and are cautiously optimistic that we can take another look at our projects in 2010," Schnitzer added.

Luxury vehicles account for only about 12 percent of total new-car sales in the United States, but many in the industry view them as good economic indicators _ $75,000 cars tend to test consumer confidence.

Also, when times are good, some middle-income buyers will stretch to buy an "entry-level" $45,000 luxury vehicle.

"While the luxury segment is the canary in the mine warning us of bad times ahead, it's also usually the first to recover," said Todd Turner, president of industry consultant Car Concepts of Thousand Oaks, Calif. "But as with all the other indicators, it's painfully slow."

Still, there are signs of stability _ if not recovery. Through July, for example, luxury automakers nationwide sold about 70 percent of the number of vehicles they did during the first seven months of 2007 when the economy was much better, according to research by George Hoffer, a business professor at Virginia Commonwealth University who studies the auto industry.

In comparison, mainstream automakers sold about 60 percent of their 2007 volume, Hoffer said.

"It seems to me that this is a recession that has cut across all sectors _ and quickly," he said.