The automobile is an item of durable capital goods. It may be used in the production process for transport of people and materials but in the household it also finds use as a pleasure-giver that is non-vital for our economic processes.
Many people can manage without an automobile so it is not basic for them. But many other people find that without access to a car the change in their life-style would be so great that for them it is thought of as a basic necessity. I find this not to be true. In one-car families both husband and wife take turns in using the car, so it is possible to manage without having it for some of the time at least. In my opinion it is possible to manage without a car which therefore falls into the luxury category.