Land Rover axes Discovery SVX

LAND Rover’s high-performance Discovery SVX first revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show has been shelved before it had the chance to make it into production.

The Discovery SVX joins the Range Rover SV Coupe as special-edition Land Rover variants to be discontinued before sales, with the company announcing last month that the three-door model – due to be the most expensive Range Rover in the line-up – had been cancelled.

Land Rover Australia product public affairs officer James Scrimshaw confirmed to GoAuto that the Discovery SVX would not be making it to production, but he said the SVX nameplate would carry over to other model lines.

In the Discovery, the addition of the SVX nameplate meant a boost in both on- and off-road performance, the former coming thanks to a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 outputting 386kW/625Nm. Mr Scrimshaw also confirmed the V8 engine will not be added to the Discovery.

Off-road enhancements for the Discovery SVX included a raised chassis and loner-travel air suspension, increased approach, departure and breakover angle;, all-terrain tyres, hydraulic active roll control and special bodykit with unique front and rear bumpers, protective skid plates, recovery points, an anti-glare bonnet, roof-mounted light bars and a rear-mounted winch.

With the SVX nameplate to live on, it remains to be seen which Land Rover model line will benefit from the special nameplate, and while a high-performance version would suit just about any Land Rover model, one that would benefit from an off-road focus is the new Defender.

Due for a reveal in all-new guise later this year, the new Defender has been completely overhauled from the rugged off-roader it replaces, with a monocoque chassis, independent suspension and a more luxurious interior to take it upmarket and fill the space in the Land Rover portfolio that used to be occupied by early generations of the Discovery.

A variant with enhanced off-road chops would most likely be a hit with fans of the Defender nameplate, but there is no confirmation as to which model will get the SVX treatment first.

Both the Range Rover SV Coupe and Discovery SVX would have been built by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), while the three-door Range Rover had 20 orders confirmed for Australian customers.

Mr Scrimshaw said the reason for the axing is for the company to concentrate on its core model lines, in accordance with the announcement from Jaguar Land Rover in January that it will enact £2.5 billion ($A4.51b) in “cost reductions and cashflow improvements over 18 months as well as long-term strategic operating efficiencies”.

The restructuring includes the cutting of 4500 jobs from its 43,000 strong global workforce, however, no information has been shared on whether the cuts will affect Australian workers.