autoevolution
 

Kahn Factory Visit - Behind the Tuning Scenes (Page 3)

← Continued from Page 2 of "Kahn Factory Visit - Behind the Tuning Scenes"How Kahn sees the world
Kahn Range Rover Harris Tweed Edition seatsKahn Range Rover Harris Tweed Edition Kahn Range Rover Harris Tweed Edition grilleKahn Range Rover EvoqueKahn Range Rover EvoqueKahn Range Rover SportKahn Range Rover Sport interiorKahn Bentley Continental GTCKahn Bentley Continental GTC wheelsKahn Jeep WranglerKahn Jeep Wrangler dashboardKahn Jeep Wrangler instrumentsKahn Porsche CayenneKahn Range Rover Sport
We feel like we’ve entered a tactical ops planning room the moment we are shown to the the large open space that precedes the entrance to the design department. Kahn has its own map of the world, with dedicated people that know how to handle specific issues from each region.

There is one “grandfather of all Kahn knowledge” that is ready to talk to customers in any place of the world at any given time, but his expertise is only needed in special actions. For the standard operation, if we can call tuning cars “standard”, there are dedicated people for the following regions (the order is random): the UK, continental Europe (with an emphasis on Germany) and Turkey; Russia, former Soviet Union countries and Eastern Europe; US (Kahn has a location in Texas), Dubai, Asia (with a focus on China), Australia and Africa.

And each part of the world comes with its special requests. For example, Chinese customers have a thing for red exteriors and for the interiors, they want local motifs to be used all around the cabin. In general, Europe is more conservative when it comes to styling, while other parts of the world prefer more opulent visual elements.

These guys sold parts and accessories (full vehicles are counted separately) worth GBP5 million (EUR6.2M or USD8.05M) last year, so they’re working and playing hard.

What do the carmakers think about it

Most automotive producers are hostile to tuners and are trying to include this part of the car business into their own activity. Of course this means that certain features that were previously only available though the customization world, such as LED daytime running lights, have now become factory gifts for many vehicles and we will see this trend climb as time goes by.

Thus, Kahn, like many tuners, has difficulties in receiving support from carmakers. Thus, the company has to develop parts that do not affect the original structure of the car, so that the customers do not lose their warranties. For example, their body kits do not require any drilling into the body of the car, being fitted by using special adhesives.

However, there is one exception. This, of course is connected to Land Rover, but only in Saudi Arabia, where customers who opt for Kahn parts can have the factory ship the car to the tuner for the custom work and then delivered to them in tailor-made form from for the beginning, but this only happens because somebody at the local importer has a soft spot for tuning.

Otherwise, Land Rover itself doesn’t want any connection to Kahn. In fact, the automotive producer went as far as copying the tuner in its quest to integrate this need for customization in its own operations.

This came through as we were visiting them. Kahn’s PR was browsing the web when he came across the Range Rover Evoque Victoria Beckham special edition presented by Land Rover and recognized the exterior shade, which had been used by the tuner for its own Evoque, which was presented back in December last year.

We can give you another example of how automotive producers handle custom cars: many carmakers will also try to run away from the warranty burden for vehicles that had received Kahn’s Cosworth engine modifications, but the engine specialist covers the warranty for the entire powertrain itself in order to solve this.

Let's hit the road!

Now that we’ve seen the internals of Kahn’s HQ, it’s time to take their cars out on road and see if their quilted leather finish can really become friends with our bodies or if the crosshair exhaust is able to make us forget about the presence of a diesel engine under the hood. Check out our Test Drive section soon for reviews of Kahn cars.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)

THE END

 Download: Kahn Range Rover Vogue 2012 (PDF)

About the author: Andrei Tutu
Andrei Tutu profile photo

In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories