WOLFSBURG, (dpa) – Luxurious car fittings such as refrigerators and fax machines are not the preserve of Rolls-Royces or flashy Ferraris. Many manufacturers offer sumptuous versions of quite prosaic models for motorists who prefer to keep their consumption inconspicuous.
The most expensive vehicle in German car maker Volkswagen’s range is not the new Passat or even the forthcoming D1 luxury limousine, but the Business version of the VW Caravelle small bus.It has a leather-covered instrument panel, leather suit bag, CD changer, navigation system with colour display and stationery heating. Even the 20-litre refrigerator is leather upholstered.It is available with a 150-HP turbo diesel engine, or better still as a V6 with automatic gearbox and 150 kW/204 HP. This brings it to 171,507 marks (74,500 U.S. dollars) in Germany, including sales tax.If you want it fitted with a television, video recorder, fax, telephone or xenon headlamps and electronic sliding door, the price can rise to 219,500 marks (94,400 dollars).VW spokesman Lothar Brune says the company sold 160 Caravelle Businesses in 2000 and expects to sell 200 this year. Most customers are leading executives who use the luxury bus for conferences and in shuttle traffic.If you find even a minibus too showy, how about hiding your riches in an ostensbly cheap car like the Skoda Octavia? A no-frills model starts at 25,425 marks (11,000 dollars) in Germany, an absolute bargain, but there are a lot of extras if you want them.Try the estate car with four-wheel drive and 150 HP, and with the “Laurin & Klement” fittings. These include leather upholstery, xenon lights, rain sensors, automatic air conditioning, cruise control, electronically adjustable seats and much more.If you order this model with the navigation system it will bring the price to nearly 60,000 marks (26,000 dollars) and the neighbours won’t notice a thing.Skoda spokesman Christoph Ludewig said 4 per cent of Octavias sold in the first quarter of this year were “Laurin & Klement” versions. Customers tend to be people who think a Skoda with all the extras is better than “normal” versions of a Ford Mondeo, Opel Vectra or Mazda.Another inverted-snobbery option is to spend big on a mud-churner. Toyota has a Land Cruiser 90 whose country-bumpkin looks will all but completely deny the money you have spent on.It and the more stylish 100 version have been produced as a special series for the 50th anniversary of the Land Cruiser range.The Land Cruiser 100 “50th anniversary” has a 4.2 litre diesel engine and automatic gear box and costs 134,483 marks (58,500 dollars) – about the same price as a well-equipped 7-series BMW in Germany.Toyota spokesman Wolf-Henning Fanslau said the typical customers are often people who use heavy trailers to carry boats or horses, but who do not want to forego comfort and luxury.Around half of all Land Cruisers sold in Germany this year will be in one of the anniversary versions, he said.Nearly every manufacturer offers customers the option of hidden luxuries. The inconspicuous Opel Omega, costing around 50,000 marks (21,750 dollars) in the basic version, can rise to 85,000 marks (37,000 dollars) with all the trimmings.Spanish manufacturer Seat offers a version of its Leon sports model with a powerful V6 engine with 150 kW/204 HP with a sunroof or a navigation system for 60,000 marks (26,000 dollars).And anyone who wants a BMW but finds the 7 series too showy, can buy a less conspicuous 3 series in the touring version with a 3-litre engine and many extras for 109,000 marks (47,400 dollars) – 14,000 marks (6,000 dollars) more than the 7-series basic version.But possibly the ultimate in inconspicuous luxury is the top-of- the-range VW Golf with four doors, four-wheel drive, a V6 engine, automatic air conditioning, Recaro seats with leather upholstery, and many other luxurious extras.For a price of 76,000 marks (33,000 dollars), you can roll through the streets in unnoticed splendour.
