A Luxury SUV Fit For A Queen
Range Rover is celebrating 50 years with a new vehicle.
When her Majesty the Queen appeared at her Windsor Royal Jubilee Pageant of Horses during the Royal Windsor Horse Show in the new fifth generation Range Rover, it was a proud moment for the brand, which is celebrating 50 years this year.
We speak to Anthony Bradbury, Marketing Director, Jaguar Land Rover, to hear more about the fifth generation Range Rover.
Billionaire: What has the reaction towards the fifth generation Range Rover been like in the UK?
AB: New Range Rovers do not come along very often. In October 2021, the fifth generation Range Rover was revealed, and the reaction has been fantastic, with just short of 10,000 orders in the first 6 months.
Why is Range Rover fearless in the market?
At its simplest level, Range Rover is a fusion of luxury with all terrain capability. It is a simple recipe, one of very few that was ground-breaking in 1970. Fifty years since then, we have been refining, refining, refining.
The most insightful statement ever given during a Range Rover customer research group (two generations ago) was by a UK female customer who simply said, “don’t change it, just make it better”.
When you buy a Range Rover you expect the all-terrain capabilities; it’s in the other areas where you could argue we had to make the greatest strides. I love all the technology in the new car; the cabin air purification (air quality is so important); the nanotechnology that’s ten times better than the previous technology; the connected car stuff you have now; the four-wheel steering that makes a large car so manoeuvrable.
What is the price?
Today, the price range starts around £100,000 and with specifications can go north of £200,000; the average price is around £125,000. And increasingly people are happy to make the transaction online.
What engine are customers ordering?
In terms of which engine customers are ordering, its broadly what we thought, about a quarter are choosing the plug-in hybrid power train, but what’s particularly interesting for me is the new seven-seater, long wheelbase Range Rover. For the first time, this fifth generation Range Rover offers seven (7) full proper adult seats. We did a lot of ‘trying’ to ascertain what kind of mix we might get off that, we thought about 10%, and we were pretty much bang on. Hopefully for those people buying the car that little bit more versatility is useful.
How do customers receive their cars?
When you have spent a lot of cash on a new car it’s a special moment when the keys are handed over to you. Customers can have the car delivered to their home, but most people want a more special handover. You can go to our factory in Solihull where Range Rover is made, and we have a great experience that reveals the car using high tech, 3-D, polygraphic technology... and its memorable. There’s also an off-road driving experience there, too.
You have lived with the new fifth generation Range Rover for a while now. What stands out for you and what do you love about it?
My day-to-day car is a fourth generation Range Rover, so it has been interesting comparing the two. The point about ‘don’t change it, just make it better’ feels very true. In a good way it feels familiar and similar; for example, the seat position, general comfort, visibility, all of those feel familiar, yet it is so much better on many levels. I love all the in-car technology and that’s a big step forward. The surprise for me is the 4-wheel steering, you get a nimbler drive, and it comes into its own with the manoeuvrability. It is over 5-metres long and it’s a wide car, wider than the prior generations, but it’s got the turning circle of a Mini Countryman! Here’s a fact... it has the smallest turning circle of any Land Rover of any size... and we all know space is a premium on UK roads!
www.landrover.co.uk
