Range Stormer

Muscular Range Rover takes shape

Land Rover makes history today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, by unveiling its first ever concept show car, the Range Stormer.

The Range Stormer is a hard man's Range Rover or, in marketing speak - a high performance, sports tourer SUV concept car, which showcases a future design direction for Land Rover. It also previews a new production model that will enter a fresh market segment for the company and will be an additional model line in the Land Rover portfolio.

Commenting on the new concept, Land Rover's managing director Matthew Taylor, said: "The supercharged V8 Range Stormer gives a taste of our forthcoming new entrant in the booming high performance SUV segment. The production vehicle that follows will share many of its styling and technical innovations. It is very much conceived to be an on-road, performance machine, as well as class-leading off-road like all Land Rovers. "

Geoff Upex, design director at Land Rover, added: "The challenge was to translate fundamental Land Rover design values into a concept for a high performance machine that looks powerful, muscular and edgy. We certainly want to challenge established views of our vehicles, but the Range Stormer is still clearly an authentic Land Rover. "

Future technologies previewed with the concept include an all-new platform that will be the basis for future full-size Land Rover models. This advanced, integrated platform, unique to Land Rover, will provide the underpinnings for the production vehicle inspired by the Range Stormer.

Another major innovation showcased is Terrain Response. This smart and simple-to-use new Land Rover technology delivers the best possible on- and off-road composure and control by optimising the entire vehicle set-up, including suspension, powertrain, throttle response and traction control.

The driver simply selects the appropriate Terrain Response setting from the six available and the vehicle does the rest, using technology that offers a choice of settings from 'dynamic' for high speed work to 'deep ruts' for extreme off-roading.

Matthew Taylor concluded: "You'll be seeing an increasing amount of innovative technology in future Land Rovers. But technology that makes the driver's task simpler not more complicated, such as Terrain Response ."

Further information on the Range Stormer is available at www.rangestormer.com .