Land Rover Coupe-Crossover

Land Rover surprised many when it presented a teaser picture of a new coupe-crossover to journalists attending September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The picture revealed a blurry image of a new crossover with Land Rover’s familiar boxy styling but with a distinctively low roofline and compact proportions. This latest rendering gives us a good indication as to what to expect for the final production version, which is due to go on sale in the first half of 2009.

Speaking at the Frankfurt presentation was Land Rover managing director Phil Popham who described the new model as being “a statement of intent about a new direction that Land Rover wants to go in, about sportiness and low C02.” Popham also stressed that it would remain a premium model despite being the cheapest vehicle in Land Rover’s fleet.

A concept version of the car will be revealed at next year’s Detroit Auto Show to gauge public interest but its production has already been confirmed.

The new model will be positioned below the current Freelander/LR2 as a direct competitor to other premium compact SUVs such as Audi’s upcoming Q3 and BMW X1. New features that will appear on the final production car will be an engine stop-start system, lightweight aluminum suspension and a possible mild-hybrid set-up.

Text & photo: Motor Authority
www.motorauthority.com/news/crossovers/preview-2010-land-rover-coupe-crossover/

Written By KingOffTheRoad on 28/7/2010

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