While Land Rover’s Range Rover is widely regarded as the
progenitor of the luxury SUV, today there are numerous brands competing in
the space including some with offerings much more luxurious than the Range
Rover.
It’s something that hasn’t gone unnoticed at Land Rover
which has attempted to challenge newcomers such as the Bentley Bentayga with
special versions of its Range Rover like
the SVAutobiography.
For future generations, though, we will see the SUV become
more upscale.
“I think Range Rover has no way reached its ceiling in terms
of price,” Land Rover design boss Gerry McGovern told Automotive News (subscription
required). “As we make [the Discovery and Discovery Sport] more premium, it
becomes incumbent on us to make Range Rover even more luxurious, and that is
what we are focused on.”
The Discovery McGovern is talking about is the replacement for the LR4. The
vehicle, which shares a platform with the Range Rover and is expected to be
revealed soon, has been designed to be more on-road-focused than its
predecessor to help widen its appeal (a new Defender will be aimed at fans of
serious off-roading). Thus, it’s more vital than ever that Land Rover
differentiates the two to prevent them from cannibalizing each other.
Interestingly, McGovern suggested that Land Rover won’t go
down the 3-row, 7-seat option with the Range Rover. He said the premium family
hauler market is for vehicles like the Discovery and Range Rover Sport, the
latter of which already offers a third row.
McGovern has also previously ruled out an SUV positioned
above the Range Rover to go head-to-head with vehicles like the aforementioned
Bentayga and upcoming Rolls-Royce
SUV.
Land Rover still has plenty of time to finalize plans for a
next-generation Range Rover as the vehicle isn’t due until towards the end of
the decade. Before it arrives, Land Rover will introduce a subtle facelift for the current
model.
source: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1105167_next-land-rover-range-rover-to-become-more-upscale
by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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