The Range Rover reinvents itself as a luxury home

Cars

Good news

We no longer feature the British icon of SUVs, launched on the market in 1970, but faced with the complexity of its kind and seeking to position itself as a player in automotive luxury, the Range Rover is becoming a brand in its own right.

Range Rover? Unknowingly, you have always called it by its first name, although since its birth in 1970, the most luxurious SUVs were registered in the civil registry under the extended name of “Land Rover Range Rover”.

Also read: Test drive: Range Rover L460, the old version restored

For his younger and urban brother, the Evoque, things are more complicated: produced by the manufacturer Land Rover, under the Range Rover brand, it was officially called the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque! The wind of humility has blown in 2023.

While the parent company, the Jaguar Land Rover group, was renamed in the more prosaic way “JLR”, the manufacturer of Land Rover has wisely deleted itself – its logo still continues on the cars, the guarantee of their DNA – in favor of three new brands: Range Rover , Discovery and Defender. Or rather, “brand houses”: a name that is not accidental for the group.

For Range Rover which, with its flagship of the same name, sells the Evoque, Velar and Sport models, it is an opportunity to stand out from the adventurous image of the Defender and the Discovery car.

Get out of the first position: a new brand is now entering the luxury sector, and this strategy was launched in 2021 with the launch of the new generation of Range Rover that represents a real market compared to the previous one.

“Obviously, our strategy is to identify ourselves as a luxury product”explains Géraldine Ingham, the new managing director of Range Rover, previously the director of cars for the Meta group (Facebook), who joined JLR in April.

“The design, capabilities, technology of our cars deserve this position,” he assures. We have compared other luxury industries, such as architecture, fashion or watchmaking, to behave like a luxury brand for our customers. »

Unique ephemeral places

The luxury ecosystem developed by the brand is comprised of Range Rover Houses, exclusive temporary locations invested by the manufacturer that invite select customers to live an exclusive lifestyle.

The first house of its kind was opened in Monterey, on the coast of California, in August 2022, during the prestigious Monterey Car Week, which brings together the world’s largest car collectors around a unique competition of elegance.

“Our customers are looking for more intimate and memorable experiences that provide an emotional connection beyond the traditional car dealership. The ability to interact in an intimate environment strengthens our relationship”says Geraldine Ingham.

A unique infinite series

In France, the Range Rover House opened this summer, during the month of July, in the center of a modern house with five rooms, in Cap-d’Antibes, allowing a 24-hour stay near the workshop and pastry chef of Royal Monceau. , Quentin Lechat, watchmaking and culinary master classes, and, of course, the invention of brand cars.

This fall, it’s in a Parisian mansion that Range Rover House set up shop for the weekend. About fifteen houses of this type have been opened regularly around the world, and this year, the Monterey residence was updated.

It was the setting for the presentation of a special edition Range Rover SV, the “Carmel Edition”, with unique interior and exterior colors. Only six examples were sold, offered to Range Rover House guests Priced at around $300,000, they sold out in a matter of hours.

With this strategy, the manufacturer born after the Second World War with its rustic and utilitarian Land Rover, but with amazing off-road capabilities (it became a favorite of the British royal family), now advertises itself as a player competitor. the most famous, such as Bentley or Aston Martin.

Available in a long-chassis version, favoring rear space, the SUV has also carved a niche for itself among chauffeurs, valued for its great road stance.

This market improvement is accompanied by a sustainable approach that will lead to the launch of the first 100% electric Range Rover in 2024 and promote the use of new, more responsible materials, which challenge the doctrine of automotive luxury.

Therefore, the brand offers as an alternative to leather a polyurethane material called Ultrafabrics: giving the same feeling, while remaining at room temperature, whether very cold or very hot, its production produces less than 75% CO2, and is associated with fabrics made by Denmark’s Kvadrat, specialist in furniture textiles.

The car brand has no intention of stopping there, as Géraldine Ingham suggests: “We have not reached our level, as proved by the special Carmel Edition, which was sold for a limited time. » Case to follow.

Also read: Is the Range Rover P510e the best luxury SUV?