Okay, we know automotive merchandizing has grown into a big business these days, but surely this has gone too far. After Volvo trucks came out with their own fashion line (in case you missed that), Volvo cars has introduced... a purse. Perfect for all those soccer moms rolling around in Swedish station wagons, sure, but where does it end? The handbag was designed by Ilse Crawford – we're supposed to know who that is – and is made of the same perforated white leather available in the S80, V70, XC70 (um, those are all different versions of the same car) and the XC90 sport-ute. Don't expect to see too many of these on the arms of mothers picking up their kids from the local school in the afternoon, though, as they've only made 100 examples, costing the equivalent of $685 apiece. Feel free to check out the images in the gallery below if, you know... that's your bag.
In the fantastic world in which Bugatti lives, there are two kinds of people: those who can afford a Veyron, and those who cannot. Most of us fall into the latter category, but those who fall into the former certainly have cash to spare (to say the least). For both, the most exclusive of exotic automakers has launched the Bugatti Collection.
The line at launch is quite limited, but includes such items as polo shirts, a jacket, a keychain and an umbrella. Of course, all of the Bugatti items are appropriately priced for the company's super-rich clientele, but even a thousand-euro leather duffle bag is a far cry from the price of a new Veyron – especially the new Grand Sport roadster.
You can check out the new Bugatti Collection at its dedicated website, which is currently only in German... so enjoy the window shopping like you were on vacation.
The continual grousing over fuel prices has earned the HUMMER brand a place on consumers' fecal roster. There's nothing wrong with what HUMMER has on offer, other than the fact that large, off-road capable trucks make terrible commuter cars, and the idiots misusing their H2s for tasks better suited to Cobalts are finally wising up. This re-thinking of emetic consumption has sent HUMMER sales down the sewer, and with no end in sight, GM is seriously considering selling the brand to stanch the cash bleed.
China is a huge emerging market for General Motors – Buick is big there, for example. As such, GM's Fritz Henderson has indicated its willingness to hold discussions with any Chinese company interested in buying the division. It's not like HUMMER is a brand with lots of history, anyway. Only the H1 had any legitimate claim to military lineage, and that vehicle hasn't been available for a while. The survival of the brand in the U.S. market may hinge on competing more directly with the Jeep Wrangler, regardless of ownership. The same way as Jaguar and Land Rover are a handy entre into serious carmaking for Tata, HUMMER could be a way for Chinese automakers to crack the U.S. market.
Lamborghini apparently has a sense of humor; how else would you explain the exotic brand's website using an image of a small paper bag with a bull logo and the automobili Lamborghini script, described as a sick bag, as the entry to the merchandise section of its website? If the performance of its cars doesn't kick you in the gut, the prices will likely induce at least some swooning. A better use for this barf sack - which appears to just be an inside joke to the folks at Sant'Agata - would perhaps be toting the finest of chocolates. Too bad that they're out of stock (probably forever), so even if you wanted to toss your cookies into what's undoubtedly one of the highest performance puke diddies available, it's not possible. The time honored tradition of hanging your head out the side window after a particularly hot lap in, say, the Reventon is always an option, though. We wonder if they offer napkins?
