DuPont’s Armored Car Kit: Selling Like Hotcakes
Now, here’s an item that preparationists have not spotted: your own armored car. This would have warmed the cockles of Bugsie Siegel’s heart.
A bulletproof Kia. Just what the doctor ordered — if the doctor lives in Brazil.
Sao Paulo does not live up to its namesake: St. Paul. It’s more like St. Valentine, as in St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
This is an armor-plated car. It’s filled with Kevlar.
The kit is called Armura. Pretty good name, I think. It gets right to the point. The hollow point.
The kit can be used on almost a dozen brands.
“We wanted to bring a solution to a family that wants protection but doesn’t have money to afford classic car armor,” said Carlos Benatto, business manager for DuPont Armura.Armura, sold only in Brazil, protects against bullets up to .38 caliber. Sales rose 70 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with 2011.
The kits cost $12,000. It takes two weeks to install. It adds 200 lbs. All in all, buyers think it’s money well spent.
There are 100 mechanics in Brazil who know how to install the kits.
DuPont’s bet that customers would like the convenience of one kit designed to seamlessly integrate with their cars is also paying off not only because Armura can be installed in 11 vehicles, including Toyota’s Corolla and the Chevrolet Cruze made by General Motors.DuPont said it is also talking to automakers about installing Armura in new vehicles.
Brazilians spend in the range of $8 billion every year on private security.
Armura’s success in Brazil has exceeded DuPont’s expectations, so the company is planning to bring the kit to at least two other countries, but it would not name them.
I can think of one.
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Published on April 23, 2012. The original is here.
When societies break down, entrepreneurs respond.
DuPont does not sell the kit in the USA. Things have not broken down here yet. Be patient. De-fund the police may come to your town.