It was easier this year that the Range Rover Velar was decreed to be the most beautifully designed vehicle on the planet, winning “World Car Design of the Year” courtesy of the 2018 World Car Awards. In doing so, Jaguar Land Rover rose victorious overcoming both the Lexus LC 500 and the Volvo XC60..at least in the minds of the jury, consisting of 82 automotive journalists from 24 countries.
Explaining the philosophy behind the Velar, and all of Range Rover’s progressive designs, JLR CEO Ralf Speth describes it as having, “compelling modernity,” “eye-catching design” and “a clear focus on sustainability.” Adding to this sentiment, Chief Design Officer, Gerry McGovern stated, “the continued evolution of our design philosophy is driven by a relentless focus on creating highly desirable vehicles (that) our customers will love for life.”
And in that regard, it seems that JLR’s efforts are proving overwhelmingly successful. While the Velar represents the median-level investment required to join Rover’s 2018 SUV family (starting at $49,900 MSRP) it’s hard to argue how effectively the model embodies both the uniqueness and overall consistency of Land Rover’s appealing design philosophy. Both refined in its simplification, and distinctive in a style that feels slightly more aggressive than that of its stablemates, the Velar serves as a sleek and athletic rendition of the Rover paradigm, and a sign of what’s to come.
And it seems that the long game JLR is playing, a massive 6-year investment of time and resources will result in up to four new and returning nameplates consisting of nearly 100 variants replacing (in essence) every current model by the year 2024. This means an updated Defender, innovative I-Pace, luxurious J-Pace and even a road-tailored EV variant of the Range Rover Evoque. Expectations are that advances, built atop an updated platform, will feature both petrol and diesel model hybrids, plug-in technology and pure electric setups. And the extremely effective Ingenium engine designs are spec’d to exceed any clear air regulations, earning them some serious points from the Sustainability Jury.
Land Rover’s Exciting Future
The combination of celebrated design, innovative technology and the plans to perform a full dialysis on the lineup will make Land Rover a brand to watch in the coming years. It just might be the most exciting Land Rover has been, in a while…
