Of course you can never ever buy a car cheaper than the previous one.
It has to be larger, but maintain the same speed, so you need a bigger engine. You also need the same amount of driver assistance, since you forget how to drive.
At a certain age you also need to have a premium car or the neighbours start talking. Premium means Audi, BMW, Mercedes around here.
If you are very frugala nd you want to state that your car is more a tool than a nice thing, you might buy a Volkswagen.
At a certain age, the company should pay for your car or your career is a major failure. The car has to be taxed, but that's a minor amount, which doesn't really matter (300-600€/month).
That was a mashup of things several people that on different occasions.