Last week, Land Rover revealed the new high-end Range Rover SVAutobiography billed as the most luxurious Range Rover ever made. It may not be the flagship Range Rover for long, however, as Land Rover is already considering introducing a new flagship model in the form of a two-door coupe-style Range Rover SUV. Speaking to Australian media, Motoring reports that Land Rover's design officer Gerry McGovern confirmed that it was a "natural progression" for Range Rover to "become even more tailored, bespoke, refined and luxurious."
When asked whether this means that Range Rover will delve into the "super luxury segment" to rival the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, McGovern simply replied "Watch this space" before admitting that there are opportunities for a new model to sit above the SVAutobiography. He added that Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations could be enlisted to develop a limited-run vehicle with an astronomical price tag to match its exclusivity. Since SVO is self-funded, a limited-edition model would pay for itself which makes it far easier for Land Rover to create a business case for an opulent flagship model.
"The good thing with SVO is it is a self-funding business so there are opportunities within SVO that don't necessarily have to be mainstream and small volume [vehicles] lend itself beautifully to that," McGovern said. While a high-end two-door Range Rover could become the next flagship, the two-door Evoque may not be reprised for the next generation. "There's probably less market for a two-door [Evoque] and given that we have a cabriolet there's no need," the Land Rover design officer said. "But as we get bigger you can think about going two-door because it becomes more exclusive, which might give you a hint," added McGovern.
Looking back at the Range Rover's history, a flagship two-door model would be a fitting tribute to the iconic SUV's origins. The original Range Rover first launched in 1970 as a two-door, and a limited-run of 200 CSK-badged Range Rovers were created in 1991 to honor its original designer Charles Spencer King.
