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Kirkland Signature Motors


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Costco has hired you to revamp their automobile program. Instead of offering discounts on other brands they've decided to market their own line under their Kirkland Signature brand. You have to create a model line up using other manufactures products rebranded. You'll need broad appeal. You'll also need to change the designs slightly so you can't exactly tell what it's badge engineered from.

What are you going to offer? What cars, trucks and SUV's will you offer? What'll you call them?

Create your lineup for Kirkland Signature Motors!

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Costco customers trend mid-upper income and are often small business owners. So they'd want something with frugal mileage, but a little style and an interior that feels a bit more exclusive. 

There should only be two models, both crossovers. 'Base' models are mid-range. 

Mazda's crossover's are perfect for this. Skyactiv engines, sporting pretensions and budget-Audi interiors create a premium, European air. Kirkland Signature is a well-regarded brand, so why not just call the car brand 'KS,' give it a stylized logo and the model's are named after displacement? Luxury models get an 'L' so it's KSL. 

Mazda CX-3: KS 20; KSL 20

Mazda CX-5: KS 25, KSL 25

Edited by Jeremy Sally
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I have a different perception of Costco.

Sheeple congregating at this place hoping to get a deal when in reality no deal is to be made and if there is a deal to be made, one has to over buy for whatever meets the sheeple's needs.

Costco also offers unnecessary trinkets. Nice, unnecessary trinkets non the less, but contributing further to the over buying and over spending experience...

And sometimes these trinkets are Chinese junk...I know this as I have a Costco membership myself and do shopping there from time to time...and not only have I noticed many items being returned at the return center area, I have been there myself a couple of times returning said Chinese junk that dont work...

Ive noticed sometimes that people have buyers remorse when shopping at Costco also...

So...because there are Chinese car makers wanting to pierce the American market, my Kirkland Signature Motors car line-up would simple be any one of China's biggest car makers...since most of their food and junky trinkets comes from China anyway...perfect fit I think...

Being in charge of  Costco's Kirkland Signature Automobile division, Id beat Walmart and Target to the punch sleeping with China with the cars....promising President Trump that Id be investing in a new factory building these cars in America... possibly New Mexico...(yes, New Mexico...you know...building a wall over Mexico...)

Edited by oldshurst442
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13 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Sheeple congregating at this place hoping to get a deal when in reality no deal is to be made and if there is a deal to be made, one has to over buy for whatever meets the sheeple's needs.

Red Bull, 8.4 oz cans, retails @ $2.39-2.59 ea in convenience stores.
Costco RB 8.4 oz case is $32.79, or $1.37/can.

There definitely are deals to be had, but like ANY retail entity, there's going to be junk/Chinese junk also.

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4 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Red Bull, 8.4 oz cans, retails @ $2.39-2.59 ea in convenience stores.
Costco RB 8.4 oz case is $32.79, or $1.37/can.

There definitely are deals to be had, but like ANY retail entity, there's going to be junk/Chinese junk also.

Yeah...and I need Red Bull like I need a hole in the head...

PS. Regular grocery stores put up sales regularly that meet or beat (price per unit) the buy in bulk advantage of Costco's 'deals' without the unnecessary buying in bulk procedure of Costco.

Also, the grocery store I go to price matches...

Listen, I go to Costco...I buy stuff there. I buy plenty of stuff there.

Great place...but I see past the smoke and mirrors of Costco...

 

Edited by oldshurst442
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Like anything you have to shop. Costco top of the line beef that usually you would only find in high end restaurants is a perfect example of a great deal on quality beef.

I shop the Business Costco as they have bulk Items I use at a cheaper price than the regular Costco but you do have to buy bigger quantities.

8.4oz Red Bull, just bought 2 cases as they have their spring sale going on, Paid $1.05 per can. Many other energy drinks I drink I usually pay from .75 cents to no more than $1.25 per can. Costco has good stuff and crappy stuff.

Kirkland Signature auto's at least here in Washington always has upper end Luxury auto's at their store, I have never seen mid or low end models, never seen a mazda.

Let me sleep on this and I will post tomorrow.

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I just realized...Costco in the US has an actual showroom offering cars to buyers?

Cool!

Costco Canada just offers $500 or $1000, I forget what amount, on the purchase of a new Ford. I should say, Ford gives the discount to Costco members on a purchase of a new Ford vehicle.

 

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8 hours ago, balthazar said:

Costco by me, which is less than 2 yrs old, merely stuffs a single vehicle in the 'vestibule' where the shopping carts dock.

 

I see.

Costco here does the same thing.  Only its a FoMoCo product only. Advertising the Costco membership discount as you cant purchase the vehicle at Costco.

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11 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

I have a different perception of Costco.

Sheeple congregating at this place hoping to get a deal when in reality no deal is to be made and if there is a deal to be made, one has to over buy for whatever meets the sheeple's needs.

Costco also offers unnecessary trinkets. Nice, unnecessary trinkets non the less, but contributing further to the over buying and over spending experience...

And sometimes these trinkets are Chinese junk...I know this as I have a Costco membership myself and do shopping there from time to time...and not only have I noticed many items being returned at the return center area, I have been there myself a couple of times returning said Chinese junk that dont work...

Ive noticed sometimes that people have buyers remorse when shopping at Costco also...

So...because there are Chinese car makers wanting to pierce the American market, my Kirkland Signature Motors car line-up would simple be any one of China's biggest car makers...since most of their food and junky trinkets comes from China anyway...perfect fit I think...

Being in charge of  Costco's Kirkland Signature Automobile division, Id beat Walmart and Target to the punch sleeping with China with the cars....promising President Trump that Id be investing in a new factory building these cars in America... possibly New Mexico...(yes, New Mexico...you know...building a wall over Mexico...)

 

There are definitely deals to be had at Costco, but only if you can actually use all of what is being sold, even if you can't, sometimes costco is still better.  We can never get through the whole box of salad greens from costco before they go bad, but even if we waste half the box, it is still a better deal at costco than the grocery store for the same stuff. 

Kirkland brand products are another category entirely.  I have found their stuff to be really good quality and lower price than the brand name.  Paper towels, contractor bags, allergy meds, toothpaste, gasoline all equal or better than the top tier brand name counterparts for substantial discount.  For example, I can buy 6 months worth of Kirkland brand Zyrtec (365 count) for two of us for $14.  Target brand Zyrtec is $12 for a 25 count. Brand name Zyrtec is even higher priced.  Even when name brand paper towels are on sale at Costco, the Kirkland brand paper towels are still a better deal. Kirkland contractor bags are the best deal anywhere for top strength bags.

Kirkland stuff tends to be good quality, but not flashy. The Mazda line-up seems to fit that bill. I'd just transplant that over and then rely on Nissan for the trucks. Naming would be simple. C2 (3), C3 (6) for the cars.  S2 (CX-5), S3 (CX-9), S4 (Armada) for the crossovers, T1 (Frontier) and T2 (Titan) for the trucks, and V1 (NV200) and V2 (NV Cargo).  I left out C1 and S1 intentionally in the event the brand took off and they wanted to add the Mazda 2 and Mazda CX-3.

11 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

I just realized...Costco in the US has an actual showroom offering cars to buyers?

Cool!

Costco Canada just offers $500 or $1000, I forget what amount, on the purchase of a new Ford. I should say, Ford gives the discount to Costco members on a purchase of a new Ford vehicle.

 

No showroom that I've ever seen.  They just have a web portal where you can arrange a purchase.  They are the largest single automotive transaction broker in the US these days. 

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@Drew Dowdell

Thanx for the info!

OK, about Costco.....

15 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

but only if you can actually use all of what is being sold, even if you can't, sometimes costco is still better

I totally agree with this. But, sometimes real estate in your home is at a premium. Im not gonna buy non perishables and store them for eons just because I got a good deal on them. Like I said, grocery stores usually end up putting everything that Costco sells on sale meeting or beating the price per unit advantage...without the hassles of OVER buying...

OK...I got the space for certain bulk items, that still doesnt mean I want to store it for eons either...

Let my few bucks that I saved sleep on on shelve somewhere in my home?

NAH!

Id rather buy what I need, cross shopping and ESPECIALLY PRICE MATCHING so I dont waste fuel going from one store to another and let  my money sit in my bank account collecting interest instead of dust on a shelf...why give it to Costco anyway? The buying in bulk makes you OVER buy in what you need and yes, you may not have to buy that item again for the next year, but the money is still sleeping on your shelf instead of earning interest on a higher interest account or investment...

I bought a large jar of mayo last June or July at Costco...great price, lower than we will ever see anytime at any grocery store, that is why we bought it. We finished it last January right after the holidays...

Mayo does not go bad in the fridge...but man! 6 months of digging into that same old jar from summer hotdogs and hamburgers to back to school brown bag lunch sandwiches to holiday Russian potatoe salads is a tad too long to keep just to save a dollar or two. In this case, and other similar cases concerning Costco purchases, Id rather just buy the smaller regular jar and finish it quickly and just buy another small jar when its done...MORE SANITARY that way!

If I need mayo soon, I know Ill need mayo soon, I will cross shop and price check and price match when Ill find the mayo at the lowest possible price I could get it!

Knowing what the price of the items that you consume regularly is the key.

Yes, sometimes Costco has it, sometimes it doesnt.

What Costco DOES make you do, is it makes you OVER buy what you need. That is just as wasteful as not price checking.

And with my trinkets comment.

Costco has an AMAZING amount of AWESOME stuff.

THAT part just feeds off our lust to consume. OVER spend!

 

 

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I make far too many trips to Costco, but I like that I don't need to remember to buy something for months.  I have 6 months worth of deodorant, toothpaste, garbage bags, dishwasher detergent, and allergy meds in the house. What's crazy is that is one package of each, but many times I'm getting 6 months worth of product for the price of 2 - 3 months worth at other stores.

I agree with you on the condiments. For stuff like Mayo or Ketchup, I use Aldi and buy a smaller jar.  Aldi is another place where I've found the store brand to largely be equal or better than brand name (with some exceptions, but I've found out what they are). 

I use costco for a lot of my apartment stuff lately.  I can buy attractive and stylish tile in bulk for less than anywhere. I can buy nice plumbing fixtures, appliances. They are usually the best deal on tires if you can find the model tire you want. My new laptop that I bought back during a Costco black friday deal was a planned purchase and I still to this day cannot beat the price for the unit I got. 

 

Anyway, my other reason for picking Mazda and Nissan.  Mazda has already shown a williness to manufacture cars for other brands. They build the Yaris iA and the Fiat 124.  Nissan probably wouldn't mind using up some spare capacity building another version of the Titan and Armada, which aren't selling all that well. 

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I don't buy much there, but the savings in gas at almost 10% more than pays for the membership for us.  Just have to be good about going on weekday mornings when the lineups are not 5+ minutes.  We find the Kirkland paper towels and Huggies diapers a good deal there as well.

I agree with Mazda, if only because I would like them to do well and it would be an opportunity for them to increase their sales here.

 

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9 minutes ago, frogger said:

I don't buy much there, but the savings in gas at almost 10% more than pays for the membership for us.  Just have to be good about going on weekday mornings when the lineups are not 5+ minutes.  We find the Kirkland paper towels and Huggies diapers a good deal there as well.

I agree with Mazda, if only because I would like them to do well and it would be an opportunity for them to increase their sales here.

 

With my sarcasm post, I still keep the Chinese Automakers for the same reason you want Mazda, a PERFECT way to increase sales!

And yes Ill agree to the more honest approach in answering this thread, Mazda would seem to best fit the Kirkland Signature branding.

 

We used to buy Huggies diapers at Costco. Best prices anywhere! But Kirkland diapers are better priced still. So we ended up trying Kirkland diapers and loved them better than Huggies.

I LOVE those HUGE beef Kirkland Hot Dogs. The ones they sell at their restaurant. Best damned hot dog for the BBQ for the summer I tell you!

(And I own a hot dog joint!)

 

Edited by oldshurst442
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1 minute ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Wait... wut?!?

Joint as in RESTAURANT

Hot dog RESTAURANT. I thought it would be funny to call it a Hot Dog JOINT with the other thread and all...

I own a restaurant that sells hot dogs and hamburgers and french fries.

You know, the healthy stuff. :D

I contribute to North America's fatty problem.

 

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1 minute ago, oldshurst442 said:

Joint as in RESTAURANT

Hot dog RESTAURANT. I thought it would be funny to call it a Hot Dog JOINT with the other thread and all...

I own a restaurant that sells hot dogs and hamburgers and french fries.

You know, the healthy stuff. :D

I contribute to North America's fatty problem.

 

Yea, I know you meant a restaurant. I didn't know you owned a restaurant. 

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Just now, Drew Dowdell said:

Yea, I know you meant a restaurant. I didn't know you owned a restaurant. 

What else do Greeks do in North America?

Other than losing to the 1988 Presidential Elections or being sexy actors like Kojak, John Stamos, Jennifer Aniston.

Was not my 1st or 2nd choice of careers, but it does pay the bills. Since 1996.

I had another restaurant too, it was a Greek/Italian cuisine restaurant, but that one never took off.  Kept it open for a couple years then sold it off.

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Cool. Didn't know. 

Back to the topic. I don't think the Chinese cars built by Chinese brands would work. They don't have the quality know-how yet.  The ones overseen by GM or Volvo could be okay, but I'm not sure that Costco, which prides itself on customer satisfaction, would want to hang their hat on that.

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1 hour ago, dfelt said:

I could see this working well for large families who always buy the same things in bulk.  My Costco purchases are rarely ever large enough to justify it.  I'm usually just passing by and stop in to pick something up.... like today, I get a prescription filled at Costco and the only other thing I bought was a container of Feta cheese.

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^^^

I agree with that Drew. About the family's using this service to its fullest. They would also be enticed to buy bigger ticket items too like a TV or BBQ if it means that they wont have to deal with the carrying the huge box to the cashes, the hassle of loading it up in the vehicle and the transportation.

Feta cheese. Olive oil. Any ethnic stuff (Greek or Italian foods), I just go to REAL Italian or Greek specialty shops and get the REAL GOOD stuff. Montreal is full of these shops all over the city and its surroundings and the price is usually not that much more for better AUTHENTIC IMPORTED DIRECTLY from Greece or Italy...so I NEVER buy container Feta cheese or  Costco's packaged Romano cheese and the like from Costco....

Montreal being a cosmopolitan city full of Greeks and Italians, its a sin NOT to buy the ethnic foods DIRECTLY from ethnic owned specialty mom and pop shops that DEAL DIRECTLY with their ancestral countries.

Edited by oldshurst442
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3 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

^^^

I agree with that Drew. About the family's using this service to its fullest. They would also be enticed to buy bigger ticket items too like a TV or BBQ if it means that they wont have to deal with the carrying the huge box to the cashes, the hassle of loading it up in the vehicle and the transportation.

Feta cheese. Olive oil. Any ethnic stuff (Greek or Italian foods), I just go to REAL Italian or Greek specialty shops and get the REAL GOOD stuff. Montreal is full of these shops all over the city and its surroundings and the price is usually not that much more for better AUTHENTIC IMPORTED DIRECTLY from Greece or Italy...so I NEVER buy container Feta cheese or  Costco's packaged Romano cheese and the like....

Pittsburgh's idea of fine cuisine is putting coleslaw and french fries on a sandwich.  :yuck:

It's a culinary wasteland here. 

Funny you mentioned the Olive Oil though... so much of the olive oil out there doesn't actually meet the criteria for Extra Virgin... and even others have other oils cut in with them.

One of the ones that aced the tests for Extra Virgin Olive Oil??   

Kirkland Brand Olive Oil..

 

 

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I know about this olive oil scandal.

I wont try Kirkland Olive Oil...why?

(OK....I just might try it because that article bit on my curiosity)

GREEK Olive Oil from Greece, produced and packaged in Greece is 100% pure extra virgin olive oil.

Why?

Because Greeks are a proud people and will NEVER screw around with olives and olive oil.

Olive oil is a sacred thing to Greeks and NO amounts of money entices ANY Greek to bastardize it.

And....sometimes I get olive oil from family and friends in Greece that produce it.

I could tell the difference through colour and taste and besides all that, Greek olive oil is best in the world...

 

Edited by oldshurst442
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They could get GM to manufacturer the last gen Impala (the one that ran for 10 years) for them with a different grille and some trim and call it the Kirkland America.   A decent, solid value-oriented full size sedan. 

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Pittsburgh's idea of fine cuisine is putting coleslaw and french fries on a sandwich.  :yuck:

It's a culinary wasteland here. 

 

Hasn't the Burgh been becoming quite a culinary hotspot, though, in recent years?  Or so I've read..  Phoenix/Scottsdale has become quite the dining hotspot in the last decade, lots of places there I will miss, but I have found a lot of good stuff in the Cleveland area so far...

Edited by Cubical-aka-Moltar
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15 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Pittsburgh's idea of fine cuisine is putting coleslaw and french fries on a sandwich.  :yuck:

It's a culinary wasteland here. 

Seems you have some dinning awesome ness based on this listing of places to eat for a memorable experience.

http://pittsburghrestaurantweek.com/partners/pittsburgh-food-bloggers/

Best Food to Eat in Pittsburgh

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/pittsburgh/best-food-to-eat-in-pittsburgh-restaurant-bucket-list

16 foods that made Pittsburgh Famous

https://madeinpgh.com/16-foods-that-pgh-made-famous/

Some are rather interesting! Some actually look yummy! :P 

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I've eaten at a few places on that list...Primati Brothers, Pennsylvania Macaroni Co, Gaucho Parrilla Argentina--and others not on the list in visits in recent years..lots of good grub in the Burgh IMO.  But the CLE is where it's at for the uncubed Cubical for the foreseeable future...

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/01/best_new_cleveland_restaurants.html

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5 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

I've eaten at a few places on that list...Primati Brothers, Pennsylvania Macaroni Co, Gaucho Parrilla Argentina--and others not on the list in visits in recent years..lots of good grub in the Burgh IMO.  But the CLE is where it's at for the uncubed Cubical for the foreseeable future...

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/01/best_new_cleveland_restaurants.html

I've lived in Pittsburgh since 1998 and I still cannot stand Primanti Brothers. 

I thought of another idea for Kirkland Signature Motors:

It would be a good way for PSA to finally get a foothold in the US.   Their vehicles are largely conventional by today's standards, yet different enough that they won't be mistaken for someone else's badge engineered product. 

This new Peugeot 3008 crossover would be the perfect intro product. 

2016-Peugeot3008-22.jpg

Peugeot_3008_2016_014_avant_face_orange_marron.jpg

peugeot-3008-2016-4.jpg

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The Philly Cheesesteak does not qualify?

Oh yeah...Philadelphia not Pittsburgh.:P

Ive also read about how Pittsburgh is an up and coming city for fine dining. In the last 5 years or so.

Hang in there Drew...in a few years you will be boasting just like I am about to do...

Im really spoiled living in Montreal.  Montreal for a smallish big city is well rounded in all kinds of cuisine and fast foods and stuff.  From smoked meat and poutine to French style cafes and bistros in Old Montreal to authentic Italian Pizza AND real American Montreal style Pizza to authentic Jewish MONTREAL style Bagels (because New York bagels are a tad different) to Portuguese style Chicken restaurants to Authentic Greek cuisine restaurants and fast food Greek restaurants (Gyros and Souvlakis) to Lebanese Cuisine to authentic Italian restaurants to authentic China town take-out (not as big as NYC or San Fran but just as authentic) to world reknown 5 star dining...

And if that aint enough....Quebec City with better French style cafes and bistros  and European flavour is just a hop, skip and jump away. (As if Montreal lacks a European feel....) (And Montreal has an American/Canadian feel to her as well, that is why there are many Montreal style foods out there...best of both worlds..... @FordCosworth has bonded with me using MONTREAL STYLE STEAK SPICE...Montreal even has its own spices...)So is Boston which is another up and coming culinary powerhouse. NYC is a tad further, but Montreal and NYC are very similar and on the same page...

 

Good call on the PSA SUV thingy...

Maybe I should try this thread again in a more serious way...

Ill use my original logic with other poster's logic with PSA and Mazda and choose another route.

The goal is to help Costco sell a few more cars, under their own Kirkland brand in keeping with the Kirkland Signature quality AND marketing and branding identity...(I did do a good job in identifying and tying this in the first time around, but it was a jokey, sarcastic way of doing it)...

GM is downsizing...thinking about eliminating slow selling models....but that does not mean the cars themselves are bad or that the market is not there...I feel like GM does a piss poor job of marketing these cars to the public...

Id head on down to the Silver Silos complex there by the Detroit river...in Detroit Michigan -_-...and Id have a talk with the head honcho there and Id try and ink up a deal to see what models GM could license for Kirkland Signature to use...Itl save GM some jobs, keep the factories working, GM gets to sell a few more units and Kirkland Signature gets to market some very good cars to sell all with having an extensive dealer/garage set-up for repairs all over the country if Costco garages are swamped with too  much work.

 

 

 

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@oldshurst442 & @Drew Dowdell If ya ever get a chance, visit Seattle with it's abundance of fresh Seafood since the Alaska fishing fleet is homed here. Foods from around the world are amazing.

Plus there is just something amazing about hand made, from scratch noodles. Check out this listing of our best Noodles and dumplings.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2013/02/07/seattles-best-noodles-and-dumplings/#photo-200787

Now if your up to a SuperBowl Pho challange, check out our local story for this yummy looking dish!

http://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/filling-up-on-seattles-only-chance-at-the-super-bowl-this-year/

SuperBowlPho1.jpg

SuperBowlPho2.jpg

Back on subject, I agree with Drew, PSA does offer Costco a nice way to have private labeled auto's to sell but I actually like the DS line much better. Plus Costco can keep everything labeled DS and call it their Dynamic Signature Series of Auto's.

http://www.dsautomobiles.co.uk/home

Full lineup can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/DSUKOfficial

 

I like this DS series of Auto's!

 

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