Russian Armored Car And Luxury SUV Maker Dartz Looking To Compete With Porsche And Land Rover

This week, the Russian armored car and SUV manufacturer Dartz announced that it will soon begin shipping its high-priced, tank-like, Latvian-made SUVs to China, in an attempt to shove its way into an already-crowded luxury auto market. In a market dominated by the Porsche Cayenne, Land Rovers and the occasional Hummer, Dartz — which once upholstered seats in its Prombron Red Diamond SUV with, shall we say, an objectionable material — manages to stand out by virtue of its pricing and sheer chutzpah alone. And that’s saying a lot in China, where exploitative Shanxi Province coal bosses have made an art out of conspicuous consumption.

From iFeng (translation by Jing Daily team):

Dartz undoubtedly makes some of the most unique SUVs in the world, almost like four-ton armored tanks, outfitted with bulletproof windows and bodies that can be reinforced with up to seven centimeters of armor. Dartz SUVs are capable of withstanding AK47 fire, and their explosion-proof tires shrug off attacks by ordinary weapons. Dartz uses only the best materials for its interiors, including gads of diamonds and gold accents virtually everywhere. Even the grille is plated in platinum. An 8-liter, 456 horsepower V8 powers these nearly four-ton beasts, giving them a maximum speed of 240 kilometers (149 miles) per hour.

Of course, these SUVs don’t come cheap: the most expensive vehicle in the Dartz arsenal costs a whopping US$1.6 million.

No word on whether Dartz will offer a special Prombron SUV outfitted with panda pelts or a grille made from elephant tusks to try to stand out even more in China, but the company has signed agreements with Chinese distributors and expects to make its official China debut at the Shanghai Auto Show this April. Expect to see these lumbering, gas-guzzling brutes plodding through the streets of Shanghai, Beijing, and — without a doubt — a coal-mining village near you later this year.

JING DAILY

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