Land Rover LRX Concept To Debut In Europe

The upcoming Geneva Auto Show is making big news these days. From the debut of the Ford Fiesta to Rinspeed’s sQuba, the much-anticipated auto show in Switzerland will also mark the European debut of the Land Rover LRX concept.

After the warm response it got from the North American auto market at the Detroit Auto Show, the Land Rover is set to test Europeans’ demand for this new car concept before it goes to production in 2009. According to topspeed.com, the Land Rover LRX concept is a highly-fuel efficient cross-coupe that claims to reduce fuel consumption by up to 30 percent. The LRX concept includes a 2.0-litre turbodiesel hybrid that features an Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD) that allows the car to utilize electric drive alone at minimum speed while maintaining a full and even improved 4X4 capacity.

Meanwhile, worldcarfans.com reported that this new three-door Land Rover LRX concept was primarily designed to suit the demands of the luxury and executive sector in the auto industry while maintaining Land Rover’s trademark quality of breadth of capability. The LRX, with its compact size, boasts of its lighter weight and, as mentioned earlier, fuel economy. It has the potential to enhance fuel economy by up to 60 mpg with its 120 g/km CO2 emissions.

At topspeed.com, Land Rover’s Managing Director Phil Popham said that the LRX is a concept that proves the possibility of putting Land Rover’s qualities into a package that is more compact yet fuel-efficient. Meanwhile, it remains a concept until it has gauged the public reaction not only in North America but also in Europe which is considered as one of the toughest markets for luxury vehicles. Adding a repair manual in the entire package could be a better idea, isn’t it?

The Land Rover LRX concept will have its European premiere together with the Defender SVX on March 6 to 16 at the Geneva International Auto Show.

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BMW To Cut Down Workforce

We are very much aware that American automakers are reeling as if they have just been hit by a right cross by Kimbo Slice. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have been reducing their workforce for months now and have shut down plants and reduced shifts on some of their assembly facilities.

On the other hand, we are under the impression that European automakers are sailing smoothly with a few setbacks here and there. But recently, Edmunds reported that BMW, yup, the same German automaker which manufactures vehicles with auto parts as reliable as Acura alternators, has announced that they are looking to cut about $8.7 billion in cost by 2012.

That announcement is really similar to when the Big Three announced that they are cutting down costs. The German automaker will also take steps similar to what the Big Three has done. BMW will be trimming their workforce and will reduce their spending on materials and research and development.

Now, this is really bad. Bad in the sense that there will be a lot of people forced out of their jobs and that has never been good. Another thing I am worried about is that the quality of vehicles that the German automaker manufactures may decline. Sure, the automaker has been creating wonderful machines for as long as we can remember, but they were able to do that because of their prowess in R&D.

Any company which focuses on R&D can easily develop products which will attract consumers. So, if BMW starts slashing down budget, there is a chance, albeit a small one, that the quality of their future vehicles may suffer. But then again, BMW surely knows what its doing.

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The Simpsons Ride The Kangoo

Advertising is the most powerful tool in the world of business and marketing. Television, radio and print - these are the most applied mediums of advertising that is proficient in catching consumer’s significant awareness.

To catch the customer’s attention, advertisers and their exclusive advertising affiliates must pull out something captivating and unique - a head turner concept that is! And today, I’m a hundred percent sure that Renault made a smart and comic move that can definitely tickle the minds of every consumer. The Auto Spectator reported that last September 19, 2007, Renault signed an agreement with 20th Century Fox L&M and Publicis. The three well-known groups have come up with an extraordinary advertisement that will feature “The Simpsons” for the promotion of the all-new Renault Kangoo!

Here are the cool highlights, check it out:

• An original partnership imagined by Publicis Conseil: 20th Century Fox L&M and Renault
• An original ad campaign: the Simpsons leave the world of the series to explore the real world
• New 2008 Renault Kangoo, the ultimate family car, can take anything - even the ultimate family - the Simpsons!

The ad campaign’s nature is systematically hilarious. Of course, it’s “The Simpsons” that we’re talking about. The ad guarantees 101 percent fun and laughter all the way through the Kangoo’s nerf bars. The ultimate yellow family will put the all-new Renault Kangoo to an actual severe test to highlight the vehicle’s exceptional features. The Simpsons, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and grandfather Abraham Simpson disappear from the cartoon world and entered a portal to the real world.

And for everyone’s info, the worldwide Simpsons/New Renault Kangoo advertising campaign will be aired in 29 countries starting in France on February 9.

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Audi Posts January Sales

German automaker Audi is not as popular as BMW or Mercedes-Benz. This is very apparent in the number of vehicles sold by these German automakers. But that does not mean that Audi is not making an attempt to get closer to BMW and Mercedes-Benz in terms of sales.

Recently, The Auto Channel reported that Audi published its sales report for January. Wow! January's over already. Anyway, the automaker reported its sale for the United States auto market which is considered to be the most important market in the world even with the economic downturn.

So, Audi reported that they have sold 6,418 units of high quality vehicles (I am quite sure that they are) for the month of January. That is 0.3 percent better than their sales in the United States last year for the same month. Although the increase is not as huge as I would have wanted it to be (I like Audi), it still shows that the automaker is making headway in its goal to challenge both BMW and Mercedes-Benz as the best German luxury automaker.

Johan de Nysschen, executive vice president of Audi America said: "We look forward to the continued momentum with the Audi brand in the United States in 2008."

Last month, the best selling Audis are the A4/S4/RS4. These are actually the same but the A, the S, and the RS stands for cool, cooler, and coolest in my books. The much awaited R8, the road car, not the race car of the past is now available to car enthusiasts. For the month of January, there were 61 units of the R8 sold. I wish though that it would have been 62; if only I had the money, I'd buy the 62^nd R8 instead of just buying a cargo liner.

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