Land Rover

In the early days of the BBC’s Top Gear show, aired every Thursday evening on BBC 2, presenter Chris Goffey was a very influential voice in UK car culture. And on one such Thursday evening in 1986, he was among the first to drive the recently-launched diesel-powered Range Rover. It did not go well. On film, Goffey made his feelings for the 2.4-litre VM-powered diesel Range Rover quite clear. Range Rover had built its success on the performance and refinement of its 3.5-litre petrol V8, and the less refined diesel engine alternative took some time to catch on – partly down to Top Gear’s unfavorable review. The interesting backstory however, is that the Range Rover delivered to Top Gear never went through a PDI (pre-delivery inspection), let alone a detailed preparation by Land Rover’s famed press garage and vehicle operations team. For […]

Jaguar Land Rover has a new mission with James Bond – a three-year partnership at the state-of-the-art interactive experience, 007 ELEMENTS in Sölden, Austria. Fittingly Jaguar Land Rover, whose cars have featured in Bond films since 1983, is now an official partner to 007 ELEMENTS located at the top of the 3,050m Gaislachkogl peak.

After 70 years of all-terrain adventures and global expeditions, Land Rover has once again taken the Defender to new heights for the anniversary. Stretching over 250 meters, the spectacular Defender outline was imprinted on the side of a mountain in the French Alps. The one-off snow art was created to announce World Land Rover Day on 30 April, exactly 70 years since the original Land Rover was first shown to the world at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show. The unique image is a tribute to the moment when the engineering director of Rover, Maurice Wilks, first sketched the shape for the original Land Rover in the sand of Red Wharf Bay and proposed the idea to his brother Spencer, Rover’s managing director. The forward-thinking design was eventually christened the ‘Land Rover’; the outline of which we now recognize as the […]

Jaguar Land Rover North America today announced the official opening of its new state-of-the-art North American Headquarters in Mahwah, New Jersey. Ahead of the 2018 New York International Auto Show, the opening was celebrated by three days of events, engaging employees, VIP guests, customers, retailers, students and local government officials. Activities included an Employee Open House for family and friends and an official Building Dedication Ceremony where Joe Eberhardt, President & CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America, announced the official renaming of the street to Jaguar Land Rover Way—placing the new headquarters at 100 Jaguar Land Rover Way. Guests included Prof. Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover, Olympic Gold Medalist Meghan Duggan and Mayor Bill Laforet of Mahwah, New Jersey, who presented Jaguar Land Rover with a key to the city.

International auctioneers Coys have set new world records for two Range Rovers, originally commissioned for King Juan Carlos of Spain, at their Essen Techno Classica sale in Germany on Saturday 24th March. The 1977 Range Rover by Alcom Devices sold for €78,750 and the 1973 Range Rover Cabriolet went for €78,750 as well, proving the trend that early Range Rovers are becoming increasingly popular. Given the political climate of the time, the 1977 Range Rover was ordered from Alcom Devices in London and boasted, amongst other features, special armour, 10mm bulletproof glass all round and a James Bond-like communication system for the King, which made it possible to track him in cars, yachts, helicopters or anywhere else.

The Road to World Car journey concluded today at the New York International Auto Show with the declaration of the Range Rover Velar as the 2018 World Car Design of the Year. Prof. Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, said: The Range Rover Velar is an outstanding, superior SUV. Compelling modernity, eye-catching design, innovative Touch Pro Duo infotainment technology and a clear focus on sustainability – what a combination. This product speaks for itself. Receiving the World Car of the Year award means a lot to us. I feel very honoured and I want to thank all jury members for their trust and support in encouraging the Land Rover team to continue on their unique path. I also want to thank our Velar team for their passion and commitment, for going the extra mile to move boundaries for extraordinary solutions.

Jaguar Land Rover and Waymo today announce a long-term strategic partnership. Together, the two companies will develop the world’s first premium self-driving electric vehicle for Waymo’s driverless transportation service. Jaguar Land Rover and Waymo (formerly Google self-driving car project) will work together to design and engineer self-driving Jaguar I-PACE vehicles. This long-term strategic collaboration will further Waymo and Jaguar Land Rover’s shared goals: to make cars safer, free up people’s valuable time and improve mobility for everyone.

Jaguar Land Rover is proud to announce it will show three new vehicles at the New York Motor Show alongside the widest range in the history of the company. Developed and engineered by Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, the F-PACE SVR is the fastest and most powerful version of this award-winning SUV. The F-PACE won the 2017 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) overall award and design award, as well as numerous other global awards. The all-new F-PACE SVR is engineered in the UK by Special Vehicle Operations.

An SUV is not meant to outperform a supercar, but that’s exactly what happened when the new Range Rover Sport SVR took on a fearsome mountain road in China. Land Rover’s performance SUV, driven by Panasonic Jaguar Racing driver Ho-Pin Tung, has smashed the record for negotiating the 99 corners of the famous Tianmen Road. The standard production Range Rover Sport SVR set a new unofficial record of 9 minutes 51 seconds for the 11.3km ascent of Tianmen at an average speed of 68.8km/h (42.8mph), beating the previous best of 10 minutes 31 seconds – set by a Ferrari 458 Italia supercar in 2016.

Jaguar Land Rover achieved its second-highest February sales performance with strong sales of the new Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Discovery and the new 18 model year Range Rover and Rover Sport as well as the new Jaguar E-PACE still ramping up, despite difficult trading conditions in key European markets, especially the UK. Retail sales of 39,911 Jaguars and Land Rovers in February were 2.6% down on the previous year’s all-time high. Solid demand in China (3.3% up) and other overseas markets (1.5% up) was offset by lower sales in the UK (15.2% down for the month) and Europe (6.9% down), where trading conditions remained challenging. Sales in North America were 2.2% down on the same month in the previous year. With the company’s sales up 2.9% in January, year-to-date sales are level with a year ago.

An exclusive appearance by 1989 Camel Trophy winners Bob and Joe Ives, together with the iconic Land Rover 110 that led them to victory in the Amazon 29 years ago, has been confirmed for Land Rover Legends at Bicester in Oxfordshire. Now an expedition leader all over the world, and consultant to films and television shows including the Harry Potter and Discworld franchises, Top Gear, The Grand Tour and more, Bob Ives will appear alongside his brother Joe on the live stage and forum area to talk about their experiences and answer questions from the audience.

Nearly 50 years ago, Land Rover created the luxury SUV segment with the introduction of the Range Rover. Now it’s defining a new genre with the world’s first full-size luxury SUV Coupe: the limited-edition, two-door, Range Rover SV Coupe. Created by Land Rover Design and Special Vehicle Operations, the SV Coupe is an exemplar of Range Rover design, craftsmanship and capability. It features a seductive body wrapped around the next generation of cabin luxury – with the peerless capability on a variety of terrains and in a variety of weather conditions synonymous with the Range Rover family of vehicles. No more than 999 will be hand-crafted by SVO for clients worldwide.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC today reported February 2018 U.S. sales: Land Rover sales increased 19 percent to 6,828 units from 5,747 in February 2017; Jaguar sales were 2,185 units, a 37 percent decrease from 3,484 units in February 2017; Jaguar Land Rover February U.S. sales for both brands hit 9,013 units, a slight decrease from 9,231 units in February 2017. We are pleased to have our best ever February retail month in the U.S. for Land Rover and second best for the combined brands. With the sales momentum of the Jaguar F-PACE and the recent addition of the E-PACE, we look forward to the introduction of the I-PACE later this year. — Joe Eberhardt, President and CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC For the full year 2017, Jaguar Land Rover U.S. sales reached 114,333 units, up 9 […]

The new Land Rover Explore mobile phone is tough and capable – like the Discovery SUV that inspired it. Powerful enough for two full days of typical use and durable enough to keep you connected when the going gets tough, it is developed by Land Rover and Bullitt Group and will be revealed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

With Chinese New Year marking the start of the Year of the Dog today, Land Rover has introduced its range of pet-friendly accessories designed to make life with canine friends that little bit more straightforward. Land Rover now caters for the journey to and from the walk with its comprehensive pet packs. The boot can be protected from wet paws and fur with a rubber mat or liner tray, both offering waterproof protection. The mat covers the carpet on the load space floor, while the liner tray has a raised lip on three sites to cover both the floor and side wall carpets. A full height partition can be easily fitted to not only keep pets safe and comfortable but also prevent muddy paw prints on the passenger seats. The partition also enables owners to separate the load space into two […]

A dizzying 99 turns and 999 daunting steps didn’t stop the new Range Rover Sport PHEV from completing a world-first at one of China’s most famous landmarks. The petrol-electric performance SUV has become the first vehicle to climb the stairs to the natural rock arch of Heaven’s Gate. The challenge began at the bottom of the legendary 11.3km Tianmen Mountain Road (known as the Dragon Road). The showroom standard Range Rover Sport P400e took on the demanding course, with Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Ho-Pin Tung behind the wheel and the Terrain Response 2 system in Dynamic mode.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC is proud to announce the 32 U.S. winning dealers of the 2017/18 Pride of Jaguar and Land Rover Pinnacle Retailer Excellence Awards. The Pride of Jaguar and Land Rover Pinnacle Awards are given annually to dealers who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Last year, sixteen retailers were selected from each brand based upon their top performance in core business categories including customer advocacy, sales and aftersales.

Our video this week is a five-decade-old series Land Rover that has been converted to run on steam. Yes. You read that correctly. Retiree Frank Rothwell from Oldham in England says he spent about £24,000 building the vehicle and about 400 hours of his time. He plans to drive Mildred to work this summer, and take it to shows. Best of all, he says, “It keeps me out of the pub.” This is a five-decade-old series Land Rover that has been converted to run on steam. That’s right, it swaps the regular engine for a steam-puffing, chimney-clad, coal-fired burner. At a cost of £24,000, the deep irony of the build isn’t lost on us. The car that became the Defender, itself a vehicle that EU law has deemed archaic and no longer fit to meet emissions rules, has been adapted […]