Land Rover has not given the Range Rover any significant update in ten years now and the next generation model is going to be launched later this year. The current generation Range Rover (codenamed L322) is in its third generation and has quite a few flaws, which will be resolved in the upcoming model. We have got some world exclusive news about the fourth generation Range Rover. The current Range Rover was developed by BMW (BMW owned Land Rover between 1995 to 2001) and the new model is being developed under Tata Motors, which believes heavily in platform sharing for cost reduction. The next generation Range Rover has been codenamed L405 and is based on an all new D4u platform.
Land Rover has developed the D4u platform and it will use it in atleast 6 other vehicles from the Land Rover stable. This new D4u platform will help in cost saving and is a common platform similar to what MQB platform is for Volkswagen. The D4u platform has many benefits, with the biggest being its weight. The D4u platform is developed with the use of high tensile steel and high quantity of aluminum. This pressed monocoque platform is 25 mm longer than the current Range Rover and offers immense weight advantages. The 2013 Range Rover will weigh atleast 500 kgs lesser than the outgoing model, which tips the scale at 2500 kgs! The wheelbase is bigger too and the D4u platform enables Land Rover to push the wheels to the extremities of the vehicle, resulting in significant increase in interior room.
Land Rover has been involved in many controversies lately, with environmentalist protesting against the gas guzzling nature of the SUVs. Tata Motors wants to address this issue and thus the next generation Range Rover is not only lighter (thanks to the new D4u platform) but also features more fuel efficient engines. Land Rover has kept lower fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions as their prime target with the new engines. The engines on offer will include an updated 4.4-litre V8 diesel, 5.0-litre V8 petrol (including a supercharged version of this motor) with increase in power and the company will also offer a V6 petrol on the Range Rover. Land Rover is also working on a V6 diesel engine for the Range Rover, which will give it stellar economy. A hybrid is also on the cards for a early 2014 launch.
The shape of the fourth generation Range Rover will remain the same as the current model and Tata Motors does not want to mess with the iconic design of the vehicle. The 2013 Range Rover will be slightly wider and longer with the head and tail lights getting influenced from the Evoque. These renderings made by MotorBeam rendering specialist are absolutely accurate, we can assure you. The interiors too will remain more or less the same with slight changes/tweaks being made to the dashboard. The design of the exteriors has been freezed as we speak, but the interior is yet to be finalized. A long wheel base version of the Range Rover is being worked upon for the Chinese market (just like the XJ is offered in XJL trim).
The next generation Range Rover will be very safe for the pedestrians as it will feature active pedestrian safety. In case of a collision, the hood will pop up taking the impact thus reducing injuries to the pedestrians. Many cars have it nowadays and it looks similar to the one pictured above (shown on the 2012 Nissan GT-R).
If you know Tata Motors well, you would know how much they love and believe in launching more models on the same platform. Tata Motors plans to do the same with Jaguar and Land Rover and is planning 40 new models by 2016. Ratan Tata himself takes the final call on the design of these vehicles and has rejected more than 15 designs of the L550 (Freelander replacement). He believes that product onslaught is the only route to survival for JLR. Hence Jaguar Land Rover will be entering new segments including the cross over (X1 competitor), mid-sized SUV (X5 competitor) and has Toyota in its hit list. A 7-seater Freelander is on the cards as well.
Tata Motors wants to increase volumes of JLR and is investing heavily in R&D. A new engine plant is being set up in the U.K., while the company recently tied up with Cherry in China (JLR’s biggest market). The new version of the Range Rover Sport is coming as well (codenamed L494) and the new Jaguar XF (codenamed X260), new XK (codenamed X151) are being developed for market launch by 2015. Some of the models being developed are codenamed X760 (Jaguar’s C-Class, 3-Series, A4 rival), L550 (Freelander replacement), L560 (bigger Evoque), L660 (new Defender), L661 (new Discovery). We will be talking about them with accurate renderings soon.
