Range Rover Exec Doesn’t See a Limit For New Bespoke SUVs
Jaguar Land Rover believes it has found a new way to make its Range Rover business boom.
The British automaker says it won’t place limits on its expanding bespoke commission business, according to Autocar. The company hopes that this will help move the longtime model firmly into even more luxurious territory.
Like most 4x4s, Range Rover was designed with an emphasis on utility. But, over its 56 years on the market, the nameplate, which has now been spun off by JLR as its own sub-brand, has come to be associated with luxury. That’s why the current range-topping model, the SV Ultra, starts at $252,800. But the company is ready for Range Rover to start being spoken about in the same breath as Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
Range Rover SV Asilomar
Jaguar Land Rover
“We don’t want to show up as a car company, we want to show up as a modern luxury company,” Range Rover’s managing director Martin Limpert told the British automotive magazine.
The automaker previewed this strategy during last year’s Monterey Car Week with the public unveiling of the SV Asilomar. The one-off build features a unique look inspired by the many blues of the Monterey Bay. The SUV featured a bespoke Light and Dark Blue two-tone finish, embroidered seats, and 23-inch Diamond Turned wheels with body-color inserts. It also sold for $550,000, more than double the cost of the SV Ultra.
Inside the SV Asilomar
Jaguar Land Rover
The plan is to build more SUVs like the SV Asilomar going forward. Next year, JLR plans to open 12 commissioning suites, or “Range Rover Houses,” for its bespoke program, according to Autocar. The spaces, which sound like Rolls-Royce’s Private Offices, will be where customers are able to immerse themselves in the brand’s luxury capabilities. As for how much these bespoke builds will cost, Limpert says that will be up to the customer and how much they want to customize their vehicle.
“I don’t see a limit. Honestly, I think it depends on the value that we generate for the customer. It really depends on the levels of personalization capabilities, where we’re really trying to push the boundaries—from paint jobs, to stitching, to embroidery, to getting a family crest or your family name on different places of the veneers and so on.”
JLR may be trying to elevate the Range Rover name, but that doesn’t mean its current customers. It recently teased an all-electric grand tourer called the GT that will be sold alongside the standard Range Rover, the Evoque, the Velar, and the Sport.
