Important Innovations Collection

Von Mercier Arosa Luxury, Sporty Hovercraft                                                                                Source:  Von Mercier Arosa Floating Above the Surface in a New Type of Vehicle The Von Mercier Arosa is the world's first luxury, personal, sports hovercraft created by Denver based Von Mercier company.  With its hybrid-electric powertrain, it can hover over land and sea.  It is not a car.  What look like wheels are actually fans for lift and hovering.  This sports, amphibious hovercraft is designed for adventurers who want to "Explore beyond the road", which is the company's slogan for Arosa.  The vehicle hovers on a cushion of air, 7 inches above the surface.  It is a new, breakthrough form of trave...

Powerful Luxury Version of BMW 8-Series                                        Source:  BMW - Alpina B8 BMW & Alpina's Unique Partnership BMW and Alpina have just unveiled a powerful and luxurious new sedan, the Alpina B8 Gran Coupe.  The B8 Gran Coupe is Alpina's version of the BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe.  Germany-based Alpina is a separate company but it is BMW's luxury and performance automobile craftsman.  Alpina develops high performance versions of BMWs.  The company builds engines and parts and customizes luxury interiors by hand.  BMW does the final assembly of the souped-up BMW's.  So, the two companies just unveiled the powerful, luxurious and very expensive new B8 Gran Coupe to some great automotive reviews. Power Performance and Elegant Luxury The Alpina B8 is the most expensive entry in the new BMW 8-Series lineup.  Expe...

Aston Martin's 1st SUV Source:  Aston Martin DBX Looking for a big business turnaround, British luxury carmaker Aston Martin rolled out its first, luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) off the assembly line today.  The brand is famous as James Bond 007's car of choice.  The DBX SUV is priced at $189,000. Audible Gift Memberships Financial Drivers The company has been experiencing disappointing sales since 2018.  The financial distress has been compounded this year by the COVID-19 pandemic.  To cope, Aston Martin has cut jobs and changed top management.  Since its IPO in 2018, the company's share prices has dropped 90%.  Aston Martin says it is in need of funding.  It's financials are blinking red. DBX The company is hoping that the DBX will drive them into a more profitable era.  Deliveries of the SUV start later this month.  The company says it has more than 2,000 orders for the vehicle.  Incoming CEO Tobias Moers...

Appoints former Google Executive as Chief Innovation and Digital Officer Source:  Tod Company Store Chasing Young Luxury Consumer Italy's Tod, the luxury shoes and leather goods brand, has appointed a former Google executive Alessandra Domizi as their new Chief Digital and Innovation Officer.  The clear intent is to ramp up the global company's digital strategy, including online sales and marketing.  Ms. Domizi was previously Google's top industry executive for fashion and retail.  Tod's efforts are an important example of the infiltration of digital technology and marketing and the growing importance of online shopping, even at the luxury level. Targeting Millennials Building Disposable Income Tod is focused on accelerating its luxury digital efforts to pull in younger customers, particularly millennials who are starting to build disposable income.  Tod's sales started to decline a bit in 2017.  It was then that they started developi...

Ferrari Expanding Lineup of Road Cars Source:  Ferrari The Future of Sports Cars Ferrari Chairman John Elkann announced that the Italy-based luxury car company plans to expand its GT - grand touring - lineup of cars that are easy driving vehicles.  It also plans to launch a premier SUV, the Purosangue, to compete in the luxury SUV category.   The company, known for its flashy, high performance sports cars, is producing strong financial and innovation results, including a new luxury hybrid vehicle.  Elkann is also Chairman of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.   Fiat is the majority owner of Ferrari. New SF90 Stradale and GT Models The company's new SF90 Stradale hybrid vehicle is expected to be a big contender against Tesla's luxury electric vehicle models.  The SF90 is the fastest Ferrari ever produced with 986 horsepower.  The new GT-type Ferrari could be unveiled in November.  The company says it's starting a new generation of in...