It was 1947 when the Wilks brothers created a new car concept, mixing the simplicity of a utility vehicle with the sobriety and robustness of a work tool. Thus, was born the Land Rover Series 1, also known as the HUE 166, presented at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show.
A few years later, the Land Rover brand was already playing in the same league with vehicles of the stature of the Jeep Willys or the Toyota Land Cruiser.
Thanks to its versatility, its use spread in agriculture, armed forces, emergency services, and rescue teams. Its success was such that in the 1950s, the 250,000th Land Rover was manufactured, consolidating its dominance in the market.
But what really makes Land Rovers notable? How can an impractical and cumbersome vehicle be bloody brilliant too? Sometimes there is no logical answer to these questions, but the Land Rover story isn’t just that of any classic car.
Via: Rovers Magazine
After presenting it on April 30, 1948, at the Amsterdam Motor Show, it soon became apparent that the first Land Rover was not just any vehicle. Over 70 years ago, the heart of the Land Rover was made of virtue, and it has been beating hard since then.
In 1970, the first three-door production Range Rover was launched. Critically acclaimed, it was the first vehicle to offer permanent 4-wheel drive.
The introduction of the first Discovery in 1989 had the rugged ability of the Ninety One Ten models to offer an alternative to the Range Rover’s newer and smaller competitors.
Then in 2005, Land Rover started production of the Range Rover Sport. The introduction of the first sporty SUV in the Range Rover family showed Land Rover’s commitment to performance.
By 2020, Land Rover introduced the completely restyled Land Rover Defender. The new Land Rover Defender is an icon reimagined for the 21st century.
It’s intelligent, capable, and safe for the whole family, and in a class of its own, designed for adventurous hearts and curious minds, for those who know the value of community and strive to make a difference.
The unmistakable silhouette is familiar but reinvented. It looks rugged and tough, but it’s designed with purpose and designed to thrill. With an iconic name, shape, and capability, dealers can customize the Defender to allow owners to get the most out of their world.
The new Land Rover Defender commemorates this nameplate’s successful track record for its unprecedented ruggedness while presenting itself as an SUV vehicle ready for the 21st century.
Via: Gazzetta Motori
An Untamed Soul
Land Rovers are as British as Queen Elizabeth II, the Barbour, and fish and chips. Still, sometimes the Land Rover has been misunderstood and underappreciated.
Take the Defender, for example, as a machine with incredible capability that is often overlooked. Curious about the Defender? Check out this post on the Defender’s extensive history.
Fortunately, the brand’s purists not only strive to maintain and spread the Land Rover heritage, but they also safeguard the contributions and solutions the brand has brought to British culture and 4×4 motoring worldwide.
In 2013, the Tata Group acquired Range Rover, producing a new Range Rover built entirely of aluminum and renewing its engine lineup.
This new configuration helped save weight and enhanced the off-road capabilities of the Land Rover to continue being the benchmark for off-road capabilities and luxury.
And despite having changed owners less than ten years ago, the Land Rover remains untamed. With SUVs fully installed on the market today, some thought that the “off-road” vehicle was in danger of losing some of its original purpose, its pure utility.
Fortunately, comfort and dependability are not incompatible, and looking at the past can tell us many things. Land Rover has evolved from a utility vehicle into a motoring legend, and it is not willing to stop there.
New models are committed to completing the brand’s product range, such as the Range Rover SVAutobiography, the Evoque Convertible, or the new Range Rover Velar.
Nowadays, few brands can enjoy the recognition that Land Rover has.
Via: Land Rover
The Land Rover Heritage
When we ask what makes Land Rovers notable and one of the most rad car brands globally, the answer is their heritage.
Through seven decades of pioneering innovation, Land Rover has earned a unique place in the hearts of explorers, off-road enthusiasts, and humanitarian projects such as the Mobile Malaria Project. That is why Land Rover decided to reinvent itself a couple of years ago and create a new icon with the new Defender.
Besides the unparalleled luxury and refinement of the Range Rover family and highly capable and versatile Discovery SUVs, the new Defender completes the Land Rover dynasty.
The 110 is just the beginning of this family of the world’s most capable and durable 4x4s. Driven by passion and respect for the original model, the new Defender offers extensive transformation capabilities.
Advanced off-road technologies redefine adventure for the 21st century, staying true to the pioneering spirit of a Land Rover hallmark for seven decades.
Via: Car and Driver
But Why Isn’t Land Rover Selling More Vehicles In North America?
Even though Land Rovers have earned a place in automotive history, specifically in the off-road segment, some factors have prevented the brand from positioning itself in the market on a par with some of its competitors.
For starters, Land Rovers have a reputation for not being very reliable vehicles and, above all, very expensive to maintain and repair, not to mention finding parts to fix or starting a Land Rover project, especially for older models, can be challenging.
Jaguar and Land Rover models have long been plagued by quality and reliability issues globally. In the most recent (2020) What Car? In The Reliability Survey, Land Rover finished last out of 31 car makers, with a score of 78.2%, almost 10% worse than the brand directly above it.
In contrast, one of Land Rover’s main competitors, the Japanese manufacturer Toyota, is regarded as an automaker that makes one of the most reliable vehicles out there, the Land Cruiser. Some even dare to claim that there is nothing more reliable than the Toyota Land Cruiser.
Other factors, such as the inability of the Land Rover brand to make Land Rover compliant with safety and emissions standards in North America, have also affected sales of the brand.
For instance, the Defender was pulled out of the North American market in 1998 when it couldn’t meet the stricter safety regulations of the US and Canada.
Via: Autoexpress
Land Rover went from a sketch in the sand more than 70 years ago to become not only a benchmark for luxury and off-road capabilities but a true automotive icon.
Today the brand continues to go above and beyond every aspect of its segment to ensure its new models live up to the brand’s heritage.
