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New SUV drives onto Lowcountry auto-sales scene
By Rachel Pleasant
Staff Writer
Cross Lander, a Romanian-built SUV lauded for its solid-steel body and affordable price, will make its Lowcountry debut next month.
Luxury Cars of Charleston has secured Charleston’s Cross Lander franchise, making it the only dealer within a 100-mile radius to offer the rugged, military-inspired vehicle.
Luxury Cars’ owner Mitch Rubinstein said he has asked to receive 20 Cross Landers a month but expects to receive half that number. If early interest among his customers is any indication, a monthly allocation of 10 Cross Landers may not meet demand.
“I’ve had quite a few inquiries already,” Rubinstein said, adding that weeks before the first Cross Lander is to arrive on his lot, he has secured six pre-sale deals.
The Cross Lander, built by the company of the same name, is a new brand in the United States.
According to information at the company’s Web site, www.crosslander4x4.com, the Cross Lander is modeled after the line of military vehicles long made by Auto Romania. Cross Lander is the majority owner of Auto Romania.
There are nearly 150 U.S. dealers currently signed on with Cross Lander, which has offices in Miami and Campulung, Romania. Rubinstein is one of five Cross Lander dealers in South Carolina.
Cross Lander’s first model to be sold in the United States is the 244X, which will be equipped with a 4.0-liter, V6 engine and is made of solid steel, a deviation from the plastics and aluminum being used by other manufacturers, Rubinstein said.
Cross Lander is selling the 244X as a no-frills vehicle that will serve the mother toting children just as well as the rugged outdoorsman with a boat to haul.
Cross Landers will not initially be equipped with air bags, said the company’s spokesman, Brian Warecki of Tampa’s Hill & Knowlton.
Cross Lander is in the process of receiving an air bag exemption from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
The NHTSA requires vehicles that weigh less than 5,500 lbs. unloaded to have air bags. The engines used in the Cross Landers bound for the U.S. market weighed less than expected, putting the Cross Lander into the air-bag range, Warecki said.
The vehicles range in price from $20,000 to $25,000, and the Cross Lander comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty.
Rubinstein estimates the 244X will get an average of 20 miles to the gallon, a level of fuel efficiency he feels certain his customers won’t mind.
Rubinstein is also sure his customers won’t shy away from the Cross Lander because it is the first vehicle to be imported from Romania.
“I think the Romanian work ethic is incredible,” Rubinstein said. “They take a lot of pride in their work, and a lot of the executives came from other manufacturers like Mazda and Toyota.”
Rubinstein’s mechanics will undergo two weeks of intensive training to learn the inner workings of the Cross Lander, he said.
The arrival of the Cross Lander to Rubinstein’s lot along Savannah Highway is remarkable in that the Cross Lander is new to the country but also because Luxury Cars deals almost entirely in used cars.
“It’s a one-time thing,” Rubinstein said. “I really believe in it; its uniqueness and its price point.”
Rubinstein suspects the competition, particularly those who sell Fords, Jeeps and Land Rovers, will be carefully watching his dealership in coming months as the Cross Lander arrives on the Charleston scene.
Rachel Pleasant is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at rpleasant@charlestonbusiness.com.
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