Written by / Long Shihui
Edited / Kilig
Design / Zoi.
When you stand in front of a million-dollar medium and large SUV with a 4.4T V8 twin-turbo engine, a maximum horsepower of 530Ps and a wheelbase of more than 3 meters, you are not only shocked by its huge aura, but also allow you to think about the ultimate question of "what is the car exactly".
This is the exclamation in my heart after I experienced the first edition of the "Frist Edition" up close at the new generation range Rover tasting site - the car is not just a car. Next to the new Range Rover, there are four generations of range rover models since its birth in 1970, telling the glory of the British luxury family and the famous scenes that have created automobile history; on the other side, the works of art designed for the Range Rover by famous contemporary artists Wu Jian'an and Chen Yujun, whether it is the abstract "cosmic energy switching between the tiger and the car" or the "Mulan Dream Butterfly" with a little traditional Chinese culture, are very attractive, showing the artistic crossover with the meaning of the Range Rover.
But the car is also a car after all, since the curtain slowly opened, everyone present can feel the powerful aura of the new generation of Range Rover 5.2 meters long, the minimalist lines complement the classic silhouette, the pearl paint flashes golden light under the illumination of the spotlights; after opening the door, the semi-aniline leather covered by the whole car brings not only visual enjoyment, but also the delicate warmth of the body in contact with it. Well, you can recognize this as a Range Rover at a glance, but it is a little different from the fourth-generation model, becoming more technologically avant-garde, and the communication with people in the details is also rich and smooth.
"Tiger in the heart, smell the roses", a well-dressed lady next to me, rubbing the right front door of the exhibition car, whispered the masterpiece of the English poet Sasson. Indeed, hidden in the powerful power of the 4.4T V8, the warmth, tenderness and delicacy of the new Range Rover are the most impressive.
The most simple and luxurious
There should be no luxury medium and large SUV that can be like the Land Rover Range Rover, the mixture of "minimal" and "luxury" two seemingly contradictory personalities, and can be a great success in the market, so the design of the new generation of Range Rover is too testing for the Land Rover team.
"When you see a car, you can recognize it as a Range Rover, or 100 meters away on the road, you can see at a glance that this is a Range Rover, our design is timeless, which is also a very important point in our emphasis on neo-modern luxury." Mr. Richard Shore, President of Jaguar Land Rover China and Chery Jaguar Land Rover Joint Marketing Sales and Service Agency, was the first to mention this in an exclusive interview, and there are currently more than 1 million Range Rover owners worldwide, so before designing a new car, first ask range Rover owners what they want.
To see the changes and progress of Land Rover design in all generations of Range Rover, the new Range Rover "holds this principle to death". So you will find that the shape of the new car is still the familiar Range Rover flavor, the iconic body of the three sets of lines, suspension roof is still the same, but careful details found that all the appearance details of the Range Rover have undergone a process of redesign, fine modification, especially the headlights and net shape, obviously flattened, the front door of the "shark gills" has also become an avant-garde U-shape, but the refinement and elegance do not drop but rise. As for the biggest change in the rear of the new car, the minimalist design language only highlights the black decorative light strip, which looks more like a concept car.
The new generation of Range Rover These changes, Li Dalong said that from his existing products to find design inspiration, with the global Range Rover car owners and consumers research, dialogue. "Land Rover was first created fifty years ago and has since become a model for the mid- to large-sized luxury SUV segment, unable to find inspiration from competitors because they are followers." He parsed to.
Indeed, the new Range Rover can make Li Dalong so confident, just look at the tasting meeting site everyone is enthusiastic about the new car to know. It is understood that since the pre-sale of the new generation of Range Rover, the cumulative orders around the world have exceeded 50,000 vehicles, and the pre-sale of the Chinese market has also started earlier, and the 4.4T V8 power will only be installed in the first version. At the Beijing Auto Show in mid-April this year, the price of the first models introduced to the Chinese market will be announced.
Interestingly, Li Dalong shared with us a group portrait of Chinese Range Rover owners: "The average age of Range Rover owners in other markets is over 45 years old, while China's Range Rover owners are younger, with an average age of 35-40 years old, and they all particularly like long-wheelbase models. So we designed the new Range Rover specifically for Chinese consumers, especially considering their needs for two-row space, enhancing comfort and luxury, and introducing a seven-seat design for the first time in the Range Rover Long Wheelbase Edition. ”
Although the first version is a long-wheelbase five-seat model, in the conversation with Li Dalong, whether it is a 7-seat version, or a plug-in version that will be introduced in China in the future, or even a pure electric version, are enriching the choice of this generation of Range Rover family. The new Range Rover is the first model to be created on the MLA-Flex platform, and the MLA modular architecture is characterized by its flexibility and compatibility with a wide range of powertrains, from internal combustion engines to pure electricity.
It is worth noting that the new platform and new technology give range rover excellent driving control pleasure, in addition to the standard air suspension, active control anti-roll bar, ATRS all-terrain technology, the new range Rover also introduced an advanced dynamic response system, from the hardware level to enhance driving comfort and advanced sense. Even if the Range Rover with a wheelbase of more than 3 meters is equipped with an all-wheel steering system, it can reach a rear wheel steering angle of up to 7 degrees, so that its steering diameter is only 11.96 meters, which is equivalent to the turning diameter of the Aurora L.
British wild luxury, want to go to the next city?
If you count by time, the current Range Rover has been in service for ten years, but it has not affected the fact that this generation of Range Rover has become the highest-selling and best-known Range Rover model in history. Ten years later, a new generation of Range Rover came to China, facing an environment that was not the previous decade ago in 2012, when car sales changed from rapid increase to stock competition, even if it is a luxury car market with obvious upward momentum, it is also a visible intensification of competition.
Especially in the million-level medium and large luxury SUV segment, the one who can stand firm is the strong, although Li Dalong proposed that "the big range Rover has no opponent", but in the real car selection and car purchase comparison, the contrast and comparison environment faced by the new Range Rover is also unprecedented. "No other SUV on the market can compete with the new generation range Rover in terms of luxury, innovation, all-terrain capability, practicality and quality." Li Dalong's implication is that the new Range Rover is enough to do itself.
Obviously, the route of the Range Rover, which is accustomed to "big winds and waves", is to maintain the original intention, a British brand began in 1970, before the first life year, Range Rover in its own development of the luxury off-road vehicle segment to occupy a leading position, when in the mid-1980s, Queen Elizabeth sat on the Land Rover Range Rover to visit different countries, marking that her luxury status has been recognized by the upper class at the top of the pyramid. After coming to China in 2003, after experiencing the era of price increases, and watching the ultra-luxury brands that only do sports cars can't help but dabble in the luxury SUV market because of profits, Range Rover gives people a sense of British luxury, simple atmosphere, exquisite and functional high integration, which is still unique in the market. Because of this, range rover owners have a high degree of support for their cars.
"What a Range Rover owner wants is a Range Rover, he knows that the Range Rover is the best, and that's a new goal we want to interpret under the neo-modern luxury, the Range Rover is the Range Rover you dream of, there is no substitute for it." In the interview, Li Dalong repeatedly stressed the special position of Range Rover in the luxury medium and large SUV segment, which is also a weapon for new cars to ride the wind and waves in China.
Of course, Li Dalong did not answer my question about the sales expectations of range rover and Jaguar Land Rover this year' sales target, the British man in a light blue suit was gentle and elegant, raised his hand and threw his hands and feet to have his own British gentleman style, and resolved many sharp questions between smiles: "This is my 'second palace' - the second time to come to China, there are three important tasks: first, through solid work, let more people understand Land Rover's products; second, the most important thing, improve customer satisfaction, new car quality, Sales and after-sales satisfaction are improving, and it is a never-ending process; third, to achieve sustainable growth, our dealer network has become strong and profitable, as long as we do three things right, growth will naturally come naturally. ”
Judging from the achievements of Jaguar Land Rover in the past two years, Li Dalong's "sustainable growth" style of playing is feasible. It is understood that the total sales of Jaguar Land Rover (domestic + imported) in China in 2021 reached 100,000 vehicles, an increase of 9%, of which the positioning of the all-round off-road guard and the long-wheelbase urban SUV Range Rover Aurora L contributed greatly, which shows that the market's acceptance of Jaguar Land Rover's products and brands has been greatly improved. In terms of customer satisfaction, which jaguar Land Rover has always been weak, the authority J.D. Power's ranking, Land Rover has been ranked second for three consecutive years in terms of services, second in reliability, and has very good results in the IQS charm index.
Write at the end
Although Li Dalong did not give a clear figure to this year's growth target, through on-site observation, the atmosphere of the brand's "loose outside and tight inside" can be felt, especially the new Range Rover is the first model of Jaguar Land Rover's global strategy of "reshaping the future", and its success or failure in the Chinese market is crucial.
2022 is also the tenth year of the establishment of Chery Jaguar Land Rover, how the brand should use the replacement of flagship models to promote the reputation and sales of other models while opening up the segment of luxury new energy SUVs, these are the "chores" that test the Jaguar Land Rover team. Of course, I think jaguar Land Rover will come in April with more action. And how much has The British luxury touched China's elite? Or the old saying, we'll see.
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