Archive for March 3rd, 2010

Range Rover recently teamed up with the prestigious English gunmaker, Holland & Holland, to create what they consider to be, “the most luxurious off-roader ever built.”

Did they succeed?  Judge for yourself: this Rover features custom leather upholstery and breathtaking woodwork hand-selected to match the owner’s gun collection.  Customers can choose from seven exclusive exterior paint colors, four different types of wood, and a seemingly endless number of leather options.

While there is something to be said for lavish trim and an opulent exterior, there are two amazing and never-before-seen amenities (limos excluded) that make this Range Rover stand out:

First, there’s a custom console with functioning refrigerator and an amply-stocked liquor cabinet.  The cabinet includes a one year supply of top-shelf whiskey, gin, vodka, and champagne – as well as custom crystal ware.

To the rear, there is a trunk-mounted gun cabinet replete with custom woodwork.  Yes, a luxury gun cabinet… in the back of a Range Rover.  And it’s functional, too, with enough space to fit guns, ammunition, and hunting accessories.

If a vehicle’s worth can be measured by the labor put into it; the H & H Overfinch is the gold standard.  Over 150 hours are spent customizing and fitting the interior trim and more than 130 hours are spent painting and hand polishing the exterior.

This luxury off-roader is old-world luxury on wheels.  Make that fast wheels (the 503-hp supercharged V8 does 0-60 mph in less than 7 seconds and has a governed top speed of 140 mph).

So what’s keeping us all from buying this amazing vehicle?  Production is limited to 100 vehicles and they cost a cool £139,650 in the UK and about $182,597 for export.  At that price, this Range Rover will have to stay on our already long list of dream cars.

For those of you who can afford a Range Rover with expensive rifles and a never-ending supply of alcohol, please do be careful about how you mix those three ingredients.

In the last 30 days, Toyota has recalled more cars (9 million) than it sold in the last three years.  Industry analysts are deeming this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for America’s domestic automakers to reverse their declining market share and reestablish themselves as industry leaders.  The obvious question on everyone’s minds: can they do it?

Figures just published on Automotive News show that both Ford and GM are out performing Toyota and expanding their market share.  

Ford is showing unprecedented growth with a 43% boost in year-over-year sales while GM is moving in the right direction with 12% increase from last year.  For the first time in almost a decade Toyota is showing a decline (9%) in year-over-year sales volume.

Although these most recent sales figures suggest and Ford and GM are moving in the right direction, the future is still very unclear.  Toyota has temporarily stopped selling approximately 57% of its US models, but as soon as the current recall gets cleared up, they will undoubtedly be back on track and working hard to reprove their worth.

So how do Ford and GM take full advantage of their current upturn in fate?  Industry analysts charge that domestic automakers need to beat Toyota (and Honda) at their own game: by building forward-looking cars with high mileage, attractive features, and outstanding quality.

Do you think that Ford and GM have what it takes to continue growing after Toyota completes this historic recall?

Source: [HBS Working Knowledge]

In the past week I’ve read announcements for six different automakers who are recalling significant numbers of vehicles for one problem or another.  The list includes Toyota, Hyundai, Chrysler, Mazda, Saab and GM and the reasons for these recalls range from braking systems (Chrysler) to power steering issues (GM).

All this recall news got me a little worried: are recalls always this prevalent?  Is this surge a result of the ongoing Toyota media coverage, or is something going terribly wrong across the auto industry?

After combing through data from NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I found that safety recalls are more common than I expected.  Despite clever computer-aided design tools and modern manufacturing techniques, the total number of automobiles being recalled has been on the rise for the past several decades.

Part of the reason for this rise is because so many components are shared across multiple vehicles these days.  If one of those components has a problem; the recall is likely to affect all of the other vehicles that shared that part.

The good news is that automakers have created robust quality checks in their engineering and manufacturing processes and that modern automobiles have advanced diagnostic systems that can record problems in detail.  These combined efforts make it much easier for automakers to track, isolate, and react to problems quickly.

CNN Money reports that the Chrysler recall mentioned above affects some of the 2009 and/or 2010 Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Nitro, Dodge Ram, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Jeep Commander.  The problem could result in a sudden failure of the braking system but it was fortunately caught early by two Chrysler employees.  As a result, only 24,000 vehicles are affected by the recall and Chrysler claims not to be aware of any related injuries or accidents.  (Kudos to Chrysler for taking such swift action!)

Safety recalls are inevitable and it is important to be aware that recalls can happen at any time, no matter how young or old the car is.  The best defense is to know whether or not your vehicle has been recalled.  You can do this by checking with the manufacturer, your local dealership, or at SaferCar.gov.  Additionally, we recommend calling the manufacturer of your vehicle and making sure that your contact information is up to date so that they are able to send you notification in the event of a recall.

Be safe out there!