00:07During the 1990s, the recognition of the popularity for sport utility or crossover vehicles sparked
00:14a gold rush in the auto industry.
00:16The vehicle type's adventurous off-roading physique, decent mechanical equipment, and
00:21a design to maximize its interior space for abundant passenger comfort and cargo room
00:25evolved from being appreciated by a loyal niche to appealing to a mainstream.
00:31This growth also coincided with the luxury car category being disrupted by a vehicle known
00:37as the Hummer, establishing a new status icon for the turn of the century.
00:43The Hummer's allure around the turn of the century encouraged brands such as Lincoln,
00:47Cadillac, BMW, and Porsche to make their first forays into what would become a vibrant luxury
00:53sport utility sector.
00:55Along with these existing brands entering the sport utility market, one company envisioned
01:01using the category in reviving the name of an old American automotive icon.
01:07In the early 1960s, the Studebaker Corporation was struggling under the pressure of a consolidated
01:13American auto industry.
01:15An ambitious new vehicle was created in an attempt to improve the fortunes of Studebaker,
01:19sculpture, sculpted by a team led by esteemed industrial designer Raymond Lully.
01:24The vehicle given form was the Studebaker Avanti, a handsome, fiberglass-bodied, eight-cylinder-powered luxury
01:32sport coupe.
01:33Produced in 1962 and 1963, only 5,800 Avantis left the Studebaker factory before the closure
01:41of the self-banned Indiana plant.
01:43When the vehicle ceased production, a group of Studebaker dealers bought the equipment and
01:49the rights to build the Avanti.
01:51Under the newly established Avanti Motor Corporation, production of the car restarted in low numbers.
01:58From the 1960s through to the 2000s, vehicles featuring the Avanti's striking unique appearance
02:05were built under various corporate owners of a convertible and even a somewhat clumsily executed
02:11four-door sedan variant later appearing.
02:15Avanti Motor Corporation's final owner, Michael E. Kelly, bought the company in 1999 and reintroduced
02:21the car in 2001 assembled in the state of Georgia.
02:25In addition to selling two-door coupe and convertible versions of the Avanti, as well as replicas
02:30of a late 1950s Lister sports car, the small car builder began sharing details of a sport utility
02:37vehicle.
02:37In a reversal of fate, Avanti sought to revive the mark that created it.
02:42A ruggedly proportion of Avanti's Studebaker XUV was formally unveiled at the 2003 Chicago Auto
02:48Show.
02:50This conceptual mock-up revealed an unmistakable off-roader appearance, with bulky fenders,
02:56aggressive front bumper guard, barge tires, and a high ground clearance.
03:01Almost immediately, the Avanti Studebaker SUV's looks caused many to compare it to the Hummer
03:07styling language, or more specifically, the newly introduced Hummer H2.
03:12The Hummer brand's parent company, General Motors, was one observer that agreed with the
03:17similarities and quickly resorted to legal actions against the Studebaker XUV.
03:22A lawsuit was issued in February of 2003 by General Motors against Avanti Motor Corporation,
03:28accusing them of creating a copy of their sport utility vehicle.
03:32GM also attempted unsuccessfully to block the Studebaker Avanti XUV's exhibition at the
03:37Chicago Auto Show.
03:39While Avanti initially defended their vehicles against the claim, Avanti reached a settlement
03:44with General Motors in August of that same year, with the latter company agreeing to make
03:49a number of design revisions to differentiate the Studebaker XUV from the Hummer H2 prior to
03:55its planned production.
03:56For 2004, an overhaul of Avanti Studebaker XUV broke cover, sporting a multitude of retouches,
04:04clearly motivated by the GM settlement.
04:06Changes made to the 2004 vehicle included a front-end now featuring a rectangular grille
04:12combined with a pair of square headlights, the omission of fender-mounted hood latches,
04:16a reconfigured roof rack, door windows framed with more prominent pillars, and a change in
04:21the rake angle of the windscreen.
04:23A body color matching sun visor was also added to the exterior design.
04:28The rear of the 2004 Studebaker XUV retained the same taillight design, but the rear hatch
04:34glass was reshaped into an isopheles trapezoid compared to the rectangular appearance of the
04:41concept.
04:41Another major change saw the rear passenger doors replaced with the conventional front-hinged
04:47variety.
04:47The 2003 concept rear doors were possibly rear hinge, judging from the location of the
04:53door handles, unless the black trim piece running behind the door represents some type of glide
04:59for a van-style sliding door.
05:02That can't be confirmed, as there appears to be no images of the Avanti Studebaker XUV's
05:07doors opened.
05:09Powerplane options for the Studebaker XUV were to utilize Avanti's new connection with the
05:14Ford Motor Company.
05:15Following the Avanti Coupe's transfer ownership from Studebaker in the 1960's, production
05:20restarted with Chevrolet V8 engine power, and eventually it would be built on Chevrolet
05:25chassis.
05:26Kelly's Avanti Motor Corporation departed from the Bowtie brand in 2005, opting to build their
05:32models on a Ford Mustang platform propelled through a 4.6 liter V8 power plant.
05:37The Avanti Studebaker XUV would obtain performance from engines related to Ford's Super Duty truck
05:43range.
05:43A 6.8 liter Titan V10 gasoline engine or the 6 liter Power Stroke Turbo Diesel power plant
05:50were initially advertised for the Studebaker XUV.
05:53A 5.4 liter V8 power plant was also proposed for the Ford utility in 2006, along with a supercharger
06:00option for the V10 engine.
06:03With the gasoline-filled Ford Titan engine family, the 5.4 liter V8 engine featured a horsepower
06:09rating of 300, while the 6.8 liter V10 generated 362 horsepower.
06:14The Power Stroke Turbo Diesel engine option would present the Studebaker XUV with 570 pound-feet
06:22of torque.
06:23All engine choices for the Ford utility vehicle were to be made with a 5-speed torque shift
06:28automatic transmission.
06:30Not specifically stated, the Avanti Studebaker XUV was likely to have the option of 2-wheel
06:35drive or 4-wheel drive via references to the front suspension in its vehicle specifications.
06:41Suspension details gave away the Studebaker XUV's additional connections to the Ford Super
06:48Duty line, with the Avanti vehicle being likely based on the truck's chassis.
06:53The 137-inch wheelbase and 80-inch width of the Avanti Sport Utility vehicle mirrors
07:00that of the port of the Super Duty based Ford Excursion.
07:03The Avanti Studebaker XUV's overall length was 16.7 inches less than the Excursion at 210 inches.
07:13Website information also teased the availability of a dual rear wheel varying of the Studebaker
07:18XUV.
07:19However, no concepts, either real or virtual, ever appeared to exist of such a model.
07:24Details on the Avanti Studebaker XUV's interior were never well.
07:29The 2003 car shown at the Chicago Auto Show featured blackout windows reveal nothing of
07:35the cabin design.
07:36However, no interior images were ever publicly shared by Avanti of the updated Studebaker XUV
07:42either.
07:43According to the 2005 brochure for the vehicle, unlike other big SUVs, we have enough seating
07:50for everybody and plenty of cargo room for all their things.
07:54Leather upholstery and an audio system with CD player were listed as standard equipment.
08:00The 2005 brochure also stated all models would be equipped with three row seating, but the
08:05third row passenger capacity appeared to be as an option in 2006.
08:10GPS navigation, DVD entertainment system, moonroof, and rear view camera were also shown as available
08:18add-ons for the 2006 Studebaker XUV.
08:22The 2006 model year also involved Avanti promoting an additional variant of their utility line-up
08:28in the form of the Studebaker XUT, combining a four-door cab with a small open truck bed.
08:35Setting a starting price at $75,000 US, Avanti initially stated the first customer examples
08:41of the Studebaker XUV would arrive in late 2003, but this production goal would be missed.
08:47In fact, while the Studebaker XUV was being promoted in the coming years, no production
08:52examples of the sport utility vehicle would appear to have been ever sold.
08:55Heading into 2006, the future of the Avanti Motor Corporation fell into question as owner
09:00Michael Kelly attempted to sell the company.
09:03Setting a desire to retire as his reason to step away from the automaker, Kelly's life
09:08would be complicated in 2007 when the United States government indicted him for operating
09:13a massive investment fraud involving promissory notes and timeshare leases estimated to total
09:19roughly $500 million collected from around 8,000 investors.
09:23He pled guilty to one charge in 2012 for meaning under house arrest due to cancer treatment.
09:30Michael E. Kelly died on December 22, 2013.
09:34The potential for production of the Avanti Studebaker XUV dipped in 2006 as the Avanti Motor Corporation
09:40appeared refocused in the sale of the classic Avanti car.
09:44Along with the Ford 4.6L V8, a V6 powered version as well as a supercharged V8 option were being
09:52touted.
09:53The 2006 year would also see the automaker relocate operations from Villa Rica, Georgia to a facility in Kincu, Mexico.
10:01The final Avanti models were sold in 2007 with the company behind the car being dissolved shortly after.
10:07While at best the Avanti Studebaker would have enjoyed limited production as a niche luxury vehicle,
10:12major economic issues including years of high gas prices would have hindered sales even if Avanti Motor Corporation would have
10:18survived.
10:19These factors were enough to force the end of the Hummer brand and made the large sport utility vehicle category
10:25unattractive for a long time.
10:27The one thing that the sport utility vehicle succeeded in doing was reuniting Studebaker and Avanti ahead of what was,
10:34so far, a drive into the sunset.
10:43Full informal way.
10:45The利用 part of that is a Gra Volcano.
10:46It's clear that his shoe insurance is transferred for route time, which is not in here.
10:50You
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