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Range Rover has launched a new luxury car - only the fourth model in almost 50 years.
The Velar, named after an original prototype, will go on sale later this year with the flagship model promising super car levels of perfomance.
It was recently unveiled to the world at the Design Museum in London and will fit in between the Evoque and Range Rover Sport models.
Engineered and built at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant in the UK’s West Midlands, it will take on rivals in the medium-sized SUV market such as the Audi Q5 and Porsche Macan.
It has clearly been popular already with reports that it has attracted more pre-orders than any other model in Land Rover history.
Luxurious touches inside the cabin include hidden-until-lit controls and a state-of-the-art Touch Pro Duo infotainment system. On the outside super-slim matrix-laser LED headlights and burnished copper-coloured detailing highlight the design flourishes.
There is also an option for Matrix-Laser LED headlights which can cast a full beam to 550m. Another feature are the flush deployable door handles – a Range Rover-first – which feature subtle LED illumination and pop out when the car is unlocked. Once the car goes above 5mph they slide back in to maintain the sleek lines.
There is a 632-litre luggage compartment and air suspension is standard on six-cylinder models. A state-of-the-art audio system can be ordered to provide a surround sound to all occupants through 23 speakers.
Land Rover say the new model, which takes its name from the original 1969 Range Rover prototype, offers ‘luxury, refinement and all-terrain capability never before seen in the midsize SUV segment’.
Engineers have fitted it with a sophisticated all-wheel drive system as well as class-leading ground clearance and wading ability. Inside, the Velar has two high-definition 10-inch central mounted touchscreens for the infotainment system and car controls.
Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK managing director, said: “Velar brings increased choice to new and existing customers in a growing SUV market.”
There will be six engine options available. The petrol engine will put out 247bhp and hit 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds. A more powerful, 296bhp version of this engine is set to join the Velar range later.
More potent power plants include a 375bhp supercharged V6 petrol engine, capable of taking the Velar to 60mph in only 5.3 seconds, which will be popular in Bahrain.
Available as the Velar and Velar R-Dynamic, the range will offer the following trim levels - Standard, S, SE or HSE. Black and Luxury Exterior Packs are also options.
All models have the go-anywhere ability associated with the off-road brand.
More than 430,000 Land Rovers rolled off the production line in a record-breaking 2016, with sales driven by the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport. The overall company, Jaguar Land Rover, sold more than 583,000 cars in 2016, topping the half-million mark for the first time.
Hannane Laidouni, Euro Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover marketing manager said the new model ‘looks spectacular!’. She added that the Range Rover Velar is expected to be unveiled in Bahrain in October or November and prices will range between the Range Rover Evoque (around BD22,000) and the Range Rover Sport (around B 42,000).
