The New Land Yachts
This press release is copyrighted by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE). Its use is granted only to journalists and news media.
Will higher gasoline prices this summer compel U.S. owners of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and trucks to switch to more fuel-efficient models? Not likely. Detroit's latest "bigger is better" SUV models are leaving their pick-up truck roots and adopting the look of military vehicles and 18-wheeler tractors, taking styling cues from luxury cars along the way. In short, land yachts are taking on a whole new look--and size.
The supersized SUV trend started with the Ford Excursion in late 1999, then carried on in the Ford F-650 Super Crewzer and Freightliner Unimog. There's a waiting list for the Super Crewzer, which weighs 10 443 kg and holds a whopping 492 liters of diesel in its twin tanks. Ford, clearly not designing for the cost conscious, expected "serious towing enthusiasts" to buy a mere 1000 of the behemoths, each of which comes with three types of hitches to broaden its appeal within the target market.
The Unimog won't be available until next year, but already a few are running around ranches in the United States, brought there from Germany by their owners. Rooted in a German agricultural-military transport, the 5670-kg Unimogs will be marketed to "gentleman ranchers" in need of something to handle routine ranch chores and elk hunting.
Contact: Elizabeth A. Bretz, 212 419 7552, [email protected].For faxed copies of the complete article ("The New Land Yachts" by Senior Associate Editor Elizabeth A. Bretz, IEEE Spectrum, May 2001, pp. 24-25) or to arrange an interview, contact: Nancy T. Hantman, 212 419 7561, [email protected].
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