Motorola opens pre-orders for its $2,000 Aura phone

The Aura boasts a sapphire crystal lens and hand-sculpted stainless steel case.

Its gears protected by tungsten carbide - the same coating used in high-performance racing engines.

It makes phone calls, too - all for $1,999.99.

And that's not counting your monthly phone service.

Schaumburg-based Motorola Inc. has started to offer online pre-orders (motorola.com/store) for its Aura mobile phone, its most luxurious yet.

"Motorola strives to offer a wide-range of products and services to meet all consumer needs - from affordable to premium," said Motorola spokesman Chuck Kaiser.

"Now, and in the future, Motorola is driven by the desire to liberate people by creating rich and authentic experiences on the most intuitive and desirable devices a person can own, which includes its high-tier product offerings."

The hefty price tag is aimed at "consumers with refined tastes," he said.

And obviously for those who aren't blinking in the stock market right now.

"This is the kind of move that Motorola needs to make," said Jeff Kagan, an independent telecom analyst in Atlanta.

"If they can get a series of hot phones in the market, then they may be able to restart their engines."

About a half-dozen years ago, Motorola was criticized by Wall Street analysts as having too many high-end phones and not enough for the mass market. So, it launched the W series and others that offered basic features at low-tier prices.

Now, Motorola is swinging the pendulum back and offering a luxury mobile phone worldwide - targeting the same audience that craves the Virtu luxury phone line that starts around $5,100 and up from archrival, Nokia.