Autoblog

Canada's Conquest Vehicles shows off first unarmored vehicle, Evade [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:14:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Videos, Ford, Specialty, Luxury

The wheeled bomb shelter known as the Knight XV has been Toronto fabricator Conquest's only vehicle for a few years now. No longer, as the Evade, an unarmored SUV - we use the acronym "SUV" very lightly - becomes the follow-up beast. The family resemblance is obvious, yet the Evade evolves and softens - another word we use lightly - the design language with details like head- and taillight surrounds, and narrower fender flares.

Whereas the Knight XV is built on the Ford F350 Super Duty frame, the Evade's aluminum and mild steel body sits on the F550 Super Duty chassis, so it's even wider. That has only made room for more luxury in the 400-cubic-foot interior for the maximum four passengers, two up front and two in the executive area in the rear. The tourchscreens, laptop trays, three sunroofs, leather and Alcantara inside contrast with protection gear like the 360-degree joystick-controlled searchlights and FLIR night vision front and rear.

Fitted with either a gasoline or diesel engine, the Evade starts at $579,000. There are more details on it, and a teaser video, just below.

Continue reading Canada's Conquest Vehicles shows off first unarmored vehicle, Evade [w/video]

Canada's Conquest Vehicles shows off first unarmored vehicle, Evade [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

eBay Find of the Day: 9,800-mile 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSi lays claim to world's best

Zach Bowman — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Budget, Performance, Auctions, Hatchback, Chrysler, Mitsubishi

1987 Chrysler Conquest TSi - Click above for high-res image gallery

We've got to say, we're inclined to give this one to the seller. The 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSi you see above has only managed to rack up a mere 9,800 miles in its 23 years on this planet, and as such, the car looks like it's spent the last two decades in a vacuum-sealed baggie. The current owner claims to have done a little bit of work to keep the car looking its best, including having the wheels refurbished (though the original tires are still in place), painting the front splitter and replacing the stock exhaust system with a cat-back kit from Magnaflow (hopefully he saved the original plumbing). The windows have also been tinted, but that's removable.

The Mitsubishi-built beastie (which was also sold as a Dodge model previous to 1987) is miraculously clean, and the seller says that the car comes with a raft of original paperwork and trinkets, including the original Chrysler keychains. If you want it, get ready to shell out some serious coinage, though. The car is on eBay Motors with a buy it now of $18,900. As we write this, there are six days left on the auction and 10 bids have brought the price to $15,099, suggesting that a BIN taker might not be far behind.

Gallery: 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSi

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: 9,800-mile 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSi lays claim to world's best originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SEMA 2008: Knight XV armored SUV lets you take your undergound lair with you

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:06:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Tuners, Truck

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Knight KV Armored Vehicle

The first word that came to mind when we saw the Knight XV was this: warthog. Sure, there are other words you could use, but consider this: it's not attractive, it's ridiculously tough, it's called in to deal with nasty situations and it kills things, all of which tend to be the traits of vehicles that earn the moniker "warthog." Based on the Gurkha military vehicle, the 10,000-pound, Ford F-350 Super Duty-based Knight XV is armored to an unspecified degree, but looks like it will stop more than a pea-shooter. It's got a 6.8-liter V10 that packs 400 hp and 500 lb-ft to keep you moving, and inboard ABS brakes to get you stopped. Those tires are 40-inchers wrapped around 20-inch aircraft-grade wheels. Oh, and it also runs on E85, which means it's more environmentally friendly than any other warthog. Except the hairy one. Check out the specs after the jump, and the gallery of high-res photos below featuring details shots and images of the interior, as well.

Gallery: SEMA 2008: Knight XV Armored Vehicle

Continue reading SEMA 2008: Knight XV armored SUV lets you take your undergound lair with you

SEMA 2008: Knight XV armored SUV lets you take your undergound lair with you originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Saturn kicking butt and taking conquests

Chris Shunk — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 06:57:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, GM, Saturn

Saturn has gone from "A different kind of car company" to a much better car company faster than anybody has the right to expect, and all the new products being introduced are starting to result in improved sales numbers. Within one year, the Sky, Aura, and Outlook were introduced, and the Aura provided the cherry on top when it won the 2007 North American car of the year award at the Detroit Auto Show. Once the new hot to trot Astra replaces the asthetically-challenged Ion, the Sky will be the oldest product in Saturn's lineup.

The resulting numbers for Saturn have been very impressive indeed, with a 20-percent bump in 1st quarter 2007 sales versus Q1 2006, and now people that previously didn't give Saturn a thought are buying into GM's newest lineup. In a recent interview with The Car Connection, Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak pointed out that Sky owners have an average family income of over $100,000, while the typical Aura customer is pulling in $79,000 per annum. Those numbers are in stark contrast to the overall lineup, which stands at $63,000 per year. Lajdziak is looking for more success in the second quarter, and with the vastly better-looking than the original Vue coming out very shortly, the news is only getting better for Saturn.

Saturn still has a long way to go in winning over customers, as Aura and Outlook sales haven't exactly been setting the world on fire. After driving the Aura, we'd guess that the biggest obsticle for the COTY is a lack of customer awareness, and additional marketing dollars should help a lot. We've long thought that the Opelization of the Saturn lineup was a great idea, and now it looks like it's actually panning out for GM.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Saturn kicking butt and taking conquests originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 06:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments