2017-12-05 12:00
Land Rover's chief designer, Gerry McGovern, has let slip a large luxurious two-door SUV is being secretly developed.
The new addition to the Range Rover line-up is set to rival cars like the Bentley Continental GT or Rolls-Royce's Wraith and the revelation of its existance was made during an exclusive round table discussion with McGovern, at the recent Los Angeles Motor Show.
When questioned as to whether or not the two-door Evoque would live on when the baby Range Rover is replaced, McGoven replied: “There’s probably less market for a two-door [Evoque] and given that we have a cabriolet there’s no need.
“But as we get bigger you can think about going two-door because it becomes more exclusive, which might give you a hint”.
The comment that a larger SUV coupe is in the works followed a discussion dominated by the outspoken Land Rover designer's declaring his desire for Range Rover to push further forward into what he called the "super luxury segment".
Describing it as a "natural progression", McGovern said in the future the flagship Land Rover models will "become more tailored, bespoke, refined and luxurious".
To prove it, he said, the designer pointed towards the Range Rover SVAutobiography that sees the British car maker go head-to-head with the Bentley Bentayga for the first time.
Helping make a business case for a limited-run super luxury production car, McGovern claims, is Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO).
SVO, the same division that created the wild F-TYPE-based Project 7 and the even crazier 600bhp XE-based Project 8, is able to operate under the radar of Land Rover's owners, Tata, as it is self-funded.
“The good thing with SVO is there are opportunities within SVO that don’t necessarily have to be mainstream and small volume [vehicles] lend themselves beautifully to that,” said the Land Rover creative director.
The decision to create a luxury two-door version of the Range Rover also conveniently plays into the luxury brand's SUV heritage. The original Range Rover launched in 1970 came with two-doors and the iconic SUV only switched to four doors back in 1981.
Also set to inspire the super luxury SUV coupe is the commemorative two-door CSK limited edition launched in 1991 that paid tribute to the original designer Charles Spencer King.
Limited to a run of just 200 vehicles, the Range Rover CSK came with a more powerful 185bhp version of the standard car’s 3.9-litre V8, and boasted sports suspension. Inside, the CSK edition also featured a more luxurious interior with premium leather seats.
What do you think of Range Rover's super luxury coupe plans? Let us know in the comments...
from Featured Articles http://ift.tt/2Azeyyv
No comments:
Post a Comment