Speaking of "luxury cars", far from saying, let's say that after the millennium, people seem to use cars and supercars a little more: for example, rolls-Royces, Bentleys, etc. in sedans, or Ferraris, Lamborghini, Koenigsek and so on. SuVs were called luxury, and in those days, it seemed that Land Rover was synonymous. Let's take a look at the land rover brand's past and present lives.
The Land Rover brand, born in 1948 after World War II, has a glorious history of more than 70 years. Since its inception, the car company has focused on the production of SUV models, and it is well deserved to say that it is a pioneer of civilian SUVs. Land Rover also has a special honor: the world's first car to successfully traverse the jungle wilderness of Central America, which is considered to be extremely difficult.
You can't mention the Land Rover brand without mentioning its flagship model, the Range Rover. The Range Rover model was introduced in 1992, and the original model was powered by a 3.9-liter V8 engine mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission to deliver up to 180 horsepower. As of today, range rover has evolved to its fifth generation and went public in October last year.
The first generation of Land Rover Range Rover
It is necessary to highlight the connection between Land Rover and the Chinese market. Land Rover and the Chinese market began in 2003, when Land Rover first entered the Chinese market and only set up a Land Rover China office. Subsequently, the 2003 Range Rover appeared in the field of vision of Chinese consumers, and the mighty shape instantly conquered many consumers.
This Range Rover has also become an indelible memory of Land Rover in the hearts of Chinese consumers. It is powered by a 4.4L V8 engine mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission and has a maximum power output of 282 horsepower. Since then, Land Rover's indissoluble relationship with the Chinese market has begun.
2003 Land Rover Range Rover
Although Land Rover is only 74 years old, the brand has also experienced many vicissitudes. The Land Rover brand has changed hands many times, during which there are highlight moments and helpless sighs. In 2000, Ford brought the spun off Land Rover brand to its subordinates, and for a time, Ford had supergroups of Lincoln, Aston Martin, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and other high brands.
However, the good times did not last long, and in 2008, the US subprime mortgage crisis broke out, the economic crisis swept the world, And ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to India's Tata Motors Company, and Land Rover's fortunes took another turn.
However, one statistic shows that Range Rover models have seen a sharp decline after entering 2022: in December 2021, the Range Rover sold 2,054 units, compared to 1,821 in the first month of 2022 and only 664 in February 2022. Range Rover is just a microcosm of Land Rover products, what exactly is causing the decline in Land Rover sales? What kind of double-edged sword is Land Rover's alternative?
First of all, Land Rover's design philosophy is different from other cars.
Land Rover 74 focused on SUV models, and there is nothing else in it. In this regard, it can be said that it has not only achieved the Land Rover brand, but also a kind of entanglement for Land Rover. Land Rover was known for its performance from the very beginning of its creation, and behind the performance was displacement and energy consumption.
Since the emergence of pure electric vehicles and extended range vehicles, people's requirements for energy conservation and environmental protection are more stringent, and many car companies have "slimmed down" on large-displacement models, such as the Lexus LX570 in the same class, its new car LX600 has abandoned the 5.7L V8 engine and replaced it with 3.5T V6. Although the new Range Rover has a 3.0T model, it still retains the large-displacement 5.0T version.
In addition, although Land Rover has a variety of car series such as discovery series, Range Rover series, and Defender series, they are all SUV models, and the competition is very fierce. Although Land Rover is a Royal British Royal Brand and a frequent visitor in the legendary movie "007", it is subject to many factors such as a single model and high price, and Land Rover is obviously insufficient in its future strength.
Secondly, behind the decline in sales, Land Rover should reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of the same level.
As we mentioned before, in the luxury SUV market, Land Rover was once the only one. However, I don't know if it is because of the unique copy of Land Rover, touched the sensitive nerves of other car companies, the major car companies rushed to launch luxury SUV models, the first public "call", even porsche Cayenne, followed by Audi Q7, Lexus LX570 also won many customers.
In recent years, not only Mercedes-Benz launched the Maybach-class GLS, BMW launched the X7, but also Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Bentley's Bentayga, Aston Martin's DBX, Lamborghini's Urus have come out, and this year there is a "big devil" getting closer and closer to us, that is, Ferrari.
From the perspective of luxury and comfort experience, Land Rover has an absolute "imperial spirit", with its own noble pedigree, no matter which model it is, it is elegant and luxurious, not only as an executive-level car for business reception, the aura is definitely not lost to any D-class sedan. From the perspective of price, land rover models are sold at a high price in the same class, or take the range rover as an example, in the entry-level model of the range Rover 3.0T entry-level, are higher than the entry-level version of Porsche Cayenne and BMW X7.
Mercedes-Benz's GLS is menacing, implanting the Maybach brand into it, and making range Rover a strong competitor. In addition, another slot point of Land Rover is that it has more small faults, which is also a problem that plagues many car owners.
So, does Land Rover have a future?
Of course! Land Rover has a legendary lineage, although the fate is uncertain, but after all, it has the blessing of strength. In recent years, in addition to replacing range rover, discovery and guard, Land Rover has launched models such as range rover evoque and range rover star vein, which are close to the people to the greatest extent, which is also loved by consumers, and finally Land Rover is no longer on top, but can also become a loyal partner of ordinary families.
Although people have mixed reviews for the change of the discovery of the 5 generations, and there is a saying that "a million land rovers, destroyed by the discovery of five", it has to be admitted that land rover is actively expanding the market. The continued popularity of the new Defender is a good illustration of this. The new Defender not only has a breakthrough in performance, but also launched a 5-door/3-door version, which greatly enriches the choices of riders.
With the rise of new energy vehicles around the world, Land Rover is also keenly aware that this will be both opportunities and challenges. Among the fourth-generation Range Rover Evoque, the fifth-generation Discovery Sport, the fourth-generation Range Rover Sports, the New Guard and other models, Land Rover has also launched new energy models. We should soberly see that today's SUV market can really be described as "bloody rain and wind", and the competition is extremely fierce.
With the delivery of the new flagship, the completion of the replacement of each generation of models, coupled with the profound accumulation of heritage and the continuous exploration of the new energy field, we believe that Land Rover, an old luxury brand, will eventually break through the fog and drive to a farther future.