[tsxei]

Originally Posted by ac 427

but the cayenne is downright UGLY (acc to me)

Thank you. I think the Cayenne is butt ugly too. Eventhough Touareg shares the platform and many other elements with Cayenne, VW has come up with a really good looking SUV than Porsche.

[ac 427]

Originally Posted by islero

Manufacturers have to adapt with the times, my freind. Let me just explain my views.

A few decades ago, Mercedes was known solely as a manufacturer of luxury and ultra-sporting vehicles, period.
Look at Mercedes today. They make an MPV(B class), a van(Viano),an SUV(M class), a small car(A class), the list goes on.......
The reason is Mercedes could not have survived if they hadnt evolved with the times and expanded to more popularand voluminous segments. If they had continued doing what they were doing, I am sure they would be in the doldrums now. ( please dont bring all the stuff about the poor quality in here now, that is a different issue).
It's the same story with almost every other manufacturer, the car market has expanded to such an extent that if every manufacturer dosent have products in all the segements, they will be in serious trouble indeed.
So I dont think they have any choice, they just have to swallow their pride, try to console horified marque enthusiasts, and get on with expanding.
How do you think Porsche survived on their own? By building cars like the 924( recieved wide critisiscm for using a VW van engine), the 928 and 968, and now the Cayenne.
If Ferrari needs to build a 4x4 now to make more money, I say let them, because it means theyll have more money to make their future proper supercars even better.

hmmm u do have a point.
nwysy id be distrought to see a ferrari 4 x 4 jst like the waay i find a cayenne UGLY, or a lambo off roader, cant even think about it. but ur right, like d way for financial reasons ferrari has commercialised itself (eg: f40 only 350 were supposed to be build n sell, they sold around 1300 of those), all d vehicle owners have to surive.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by ac 427

hmmm u do have a point.
nwysy id be distrought to see a ferrari 4 x 4 jst like the waay i find a cayenne UGLY, or a lambo off roader, cant even think about it. but ur right, like d way for financial reasons ferrari has commercialised itself (eg: f40 only 350 were supposed to be build n sell, they sold around 1300 of those), all d vehicle owners have to surive.

modded cayenne's are hot. drool drool ones. When I first saw cayenne in UK car show I didnt much like it , but now...

And mate try to avoid sms lingo and check the grammer. It makes reading difficult for some tbhpians.

[karthik247]

The SUV is currently known as the LM00X. It will feature two choices of engines - a supercharged 400hp 4.2 V8 and a supercharged 500hp 5.0 V10. It’s expected that the Lamborghini SUV will debut in 2008, while the Audi Q5 it’s based on will be released in 2007.

[devarshi84]

Originally Posted by islero

Manufacturers have to adapt with the times, my freind. Let me just explain my views.

A few decades ago, Mercedes was known solely as a manufacturer of luxury and ultra-sporting vehicles, period.
Look at Mercedes today. They make an MPV(B class), a van(Viano),an SUV(M class), a small car(A class), the list goes on.......
The reason is Mercedes could not have survived if they hadnt evolved with the times and expanded to more popularand voluminous segments. If they had continued doing what they were doing, I am sure they would be in the doldrums now. ( please dont bring all the stuff about the poor quality in here now, that is a different issue).
It's the same story with almost every other manufacturer, the car market has expanded to such an extent that if every manufacturer dosent have products in all the segements, they will be in serious trouble indeed.
So I dont think they have any choice, they just have to swallow their pride, try to console horified marque enthusiasts, and get on with expanding.
How do you think Porsche survived on their own? By building cars like the 924( recieved wide critisiscm for using a VW van engine), the 928 and 968, and now the Cayenne.
If Ferrari needs to build a 4x4 now to make more money, I say let them, because it means theyll have more money to make their future proper supercars even better.

I agree with you but please remember that

mercedes makes bucks
from selling sedan in bulks

their other cars are still not best sellers.

bmw x series outsells the M-class each time. Not that Bmw is great either. they borrowed the technology for their x series from rangerover.

Ford is still selling well in trucks. the F-150 is also the best seller. But their sedans are not upto mark.

[bigman]

Thanks for the picure Karthik. You sure this is a Lambo and not another crappy DC job ? It looks awful.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by karthik247

The SUV is currently known as the LM00X. It will feature two choices of engines - a supercharged 400hp 4.2 V8 and a supercharged 500hp 5.0 V10. It’s expected that the Lamborghini SUV will debut in 2008, while the Audi Q5 it’s based on will be released in 2007.

and to add to your little snippet, here is a tiny article i scanned from my February 2006 issue of Motor Trend, featuring pictures of the un-necessary Bentley SUV, the even more un-necessary Lamborghini Espada coupe (which unfortunately looks kinda funky) and the absolutely un-necessary and ugly Lamborghini LM002:

[Ram]

Originally Posted by islero

How much would you expect them to sell? SUV's wernt popular then, it was astronomically priced and anything but fuel efficient. They were found to be suitable for military purposes...

PS: It was LM002, not LM02, and there was an LM003( made mainly for the military market) and LM004.

Inspiration came form a Lambo concept jeep called the 'cheetah'.

Funskool is (was?) a subsidiary of Madras Rubber Factory (MRF).
Funskool got a license in 1988 to produce G.I.Joe plastic toys for the Indian market from Hasbro USA. My kids used to play with a plastic toy SUV
made by Funskool,India in 1993. Must be still available in toyshops all over India.



That SUV was called the VAMP (Vehicle for Attack:Multi-Purpose)


Later it was produced in red and sold as MRF Racing Jeep


Isn't it a two seat version of the 1977 Lamborgini Cheetah?

[1Day]

I have added some other cars that might be in the pipeline inclding the bentley suv..

check it out...bentley suv, baby rolls, 2+2 from bugatti and may be an IS coupe..

here

[islero]

Hehe I used to play with those funskool jeeps when I was a little kid in the early nineties......you had to buy it and assemble it, it was simply amazing....

[aniguchisan]

Originally Posted by islero

Hehe I used to play with those funskool jeeps when I was a little kid in the early nineties......you had to buy it and assemble it, it was simply amazing....

Oh my god dude! The memories! Go FUNSKOOL!


Great post, RAM.