£240k Range Rover SV Coupe canned
Stillborn two-door Range Rover was due to be produced in 999 units by SVO
It's not often that a car maker decides to cancel production of a new model after orders have already been placed. In fact, it's almost completely unheard of these days. But that's exactly what Land Rover has done with its Range Rover SV Coupe less than a year after the £240k model made its debut.
The official line from Land Rover is that the plug was pulled on production of all 999 cars so the company can focus attention on its core product line-up. But the move raises unanswered questions, like were there not enough orders, or did the company underestimate production costs of its bespoke model, which shared only two body panels with the standard car? We'll probably never know the full story.
All we can hope is that the death of the SV Coupe doesn't signal a tightening of purse for JLR's Special Vehicle Operations, which was the division tasked with building the 565hp supercharged V8 model. Because at a time when JLR's global sales have plummeted (they fell by 13.8% at the end of last year), you might imagine that SVO would be the first to feel the resulting squeeze of investment.
There may be a light at the end of the SVO tunnel, however, in the shape of the Jaguar F-Pace SVR. The regular F-Pace set records for Jaguar when it went on sale back in 2016, so this 550hp variant - which conveniently slots into a segment of performance SUVs that's bucked industry trends - could provide a welcome kick up the backside to hot Jag sales. It's due on roads in the coming weeks.
As for the SV Coupe, it looks like that ship's long since sailed.
How do you make affordable SUVs and off-roaders in an electric only world? I guess you stop fannying about trying to sell quarter million pound jokes and spend your money (and more importantly, time) wisely.
But then again I'm an arse. Whilst I don't like these mega-money SUV's, it's a pity this has got canned - it's by far the best looking of the ilk & has much more understated class than the hideous Uras / Bentayga / Cullinan lot.
Why they have to be so ugly & aggressive is beyond me. Market tastes I guess......
They could sell 300 a year in the Middle East and China.
The real issue was that the order process was a total shambles. I was made to beg and grovel to place an order and asked for a 50pc deposit just to be considered to be able to order..It was a farce..worse still...they have pissed off some very loyal customers with deep pockets who will never darker the SVO door ever again.
Though I expect that a combination of not enough deposits plus a few unexpected engineering changes like having to redesign an air bag or similar that would cost £5 million each would be enough to eat up any profit.
The smart money for JLR to address the premium market would be to do it with the defender like Mercedes-Benz have done with the G Wagon.
A farmer does not need leather, wool carpets, sat nav, massive wheels etc.
Though I expect that a combination of not enough deposits plus a few unexpected engineering changes like having to redesign an air bag or similar that would cost £5 million each would be enough to eat up any profit.
The smart money for JLR to address the premium market would be to do it with the defender like Mercedes-Benz have done with the G Wagon.
A farmer does not need leather, wool carpets, sat nav, massive wheels etc.
Those mums are also happy to spend their cash on PCP which keeps the factory ticking over as they change their car regularly. A farmer will expect their purchase to outlive them (even though it's never serviced).
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