Don't Do It, Land Rover

A new Land Rover... I think. (Image courtesy of cargurus.com)

Being a little behind in my automotive news, I was surprised (and horrified) to find that Land Rover will be producing a small, for-the-peasants SUV, with production beginning in 2011. First of all, I will admit that I like the direction in which Land Rover is going with their engines in slowly implementing hybrid technology across their model line. Land Rover has always been somewhat antiquated--on purpose, it seems--which, in my opinion, has only added to their charm and appeal, amongst the smattering of other bland SUVs on the market. But, despite their classic image, Land Rover would surely be foolish to ignore the trend towards hybrid technology in the SUV marketplace.

However, the LRX strikes me as a mistake. First, it is a Land Rover with two doors which, apart from only appealing to the 17-year-old daughters of current Land Rover owners, seems like too dramatic of a departure from their brand image. For consumers, there is little else that will compel them to spend the extra money on a LRX over its competitors, aside from the fact that it is a Land Rover; that, it seems to me, is an awful lot for Land Rover to hang its hat on. Second, it is ugly. While this point might be debated, I will stick by my opinion on this one.

Lastly, it seems that Land Rover has not learned from its mistakes. Remember the Freelander? A couple people wanted them when they came out, but those sentiments were short-lived. The Freelander flopped in the small SUV market. Though, on the upside, if you want one now, they are easy to find, and at bargain prices.

While Land Rover is right to move into the hybrid SUV market, the LRX seems like the wrong way to make an entrance. Someday all of New England's roads will be flooded with hybrid Range Rover Sports, but I doubt the LRX will end up anywhere but on the used car lot next to the Freelander.

Rally Coverage in the U.S. (!)

(Image courtesy of dhd.discovery.com)

A brief thanks to Discovery HD Theatre, which has decided to bring a comprehensive World Rally Championship schedule to U.S. television. They will be airing the entire 2010 season, beginning on February 25th, in glorious high definition. Rally events can be some of the more interesting and exciting forms of racing to watch, and now all U.S. racing enthusiasts can rejoice at the opportunity to watch regular races, as well as follow-up episodes, from the comfort of their own couches.

A television schedule can be found here.

Poor Toyota...

(Image courtesy of Wikicars.org)

Turns out Toyota's recent recall problems are being felt just as harshly at local Toyota dealerships. A man in Louisiana, upon learning of the recent gas-pedalrecall, decided he did not want his Toyota truck anymore and attempted to get his local Toyota dealership to take it back and issue a refund. To nobody's surprise, the dealership refused, offering instead to repair the gas pedal and give him a loaner in the meantime. This offer was made multiple times, as the man seemed to not understand that the dealership could not simply take his truck back and refund his money.

What happened next is, in a word, priceless. Following the third refusal by the dealership to issue a refund, the gas pedal in the gentleman's truck astonishingly became stuck, resulting in the truck ramming into the dealership. The dealership building, fortunately, sustained only minor damage, though the truck is in significantly worse shape. While the official police report attributes the accident to a stuck gas pedal, this author suspects otherwise...