Range Rover SV Coupe nixed before production
BY SPENCER LEECH | 31st Jan 2019
DESPITE confirming a run of 999 units less than one year ago at the 2018 Geneva motor show, Jaguar Land Rover’s Range Rover SV Coupe will not make production due to a reallocation of resources.
In a statement, Land Rover said: “We’ve taken the difficult decision to inform our customers that the Range Rover SV Coupe will not proceed into production.
“Instead, we’re focusing on our resources and investment on the next generation of world-class products
“With exciting plans for electrification, enhanced craftsmanship, innovation and technology, we are working to ensure that we continue to offer our customers a choice of world-leading SUVs.”
Land Rover’s Australian arm had its hand up for 20 units of the proposed SV Coupe, which would have been the most expensive model in the British brand’s stable at around $500,000 before on-road costs.
Revealed with a 416kW/700Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine, Range Rover called its high-riding two-door “the world’s first full-size luxury SUV coupe”.
Sending drive through an eight-speed automatic transmission, Land Rover claimed the SV Coupe would accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 5.3 seconds.
To be built by Land Rover’s go-fast Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) subsidiary, the SV Coupe was to take on the burgeoning crop of ultra-high-end SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
While unconfirmed, the high-cost of production for a low-volume model that shares two panels with the regular Range Rover – and the significant decline in sales in China – are likely factors in the decision.
Earlier this year, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced it would cull 4500 employees as part of a plan to save £2.5bn ($A4.5bn) over the next 18 months by also reducing its investments, reducing costs and inventory.
Last year (JLR) sales dropped 6.9 per cent.
