Land Rover DC100 lifts lid
Land Rover DC100 lifts lid DC100 concept is just first step in aggressive plan to expand, starting with new Defender in 2015
Land Rover is promising to “boldly go” places it has never been before, with a plan to launch a successor to the Defender in 2015, and produce a sub-£20,000 lifestyle vehicle.
The Defender’s successor will be based on the DC100 concept car, and will cost around £25,000. Design boss Gerry McGovern hopes to build a family of production cars, including the Sport pictured here.
The new “lifestyle” model will be completely separate to the DC100, offering space and practicality to rival the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and VW Tiguan.
The firm is also looking into long-term plans to develop a smaller electric car, too, although it’s unlikely to launch until at least 2020.
Hybrid technology, developed from that shown in Jaguar’s C-X16 and the Range_e prototypes, is still the firm’s main focus for saving fuel. The first Land Rover hybrid goes on sale in 2013.
Brand director John Edwards said: “The price of the Defender must be accessible. If we are to make the car relevant to the likes of the Red Cross, it will have to cost up to £25,000.
“But it’s true the SUV sector is growing, and there’s a market for £20,000 SUVs that we don’t even touch. We’re looking very carefully at this. The car must offer the performance our customers expect,” he added.Â
Concept Q&A
Design director Gerry McGovern speaks
How many versions of the DC100 are you working on?Â
GM: Over the years? Lots. When I left Land Rover [after designing the Freelander] 12 years ago, we were talking about it. The DC100 needs to be as versatile as possible. We could do an off-roader [or] a pick-up, but it’s about how we dress it up. We could even do the DC100 Sport. It’s a bit of fun at the moment, but if enough people tell us, “That’s it!”, why not?
What message would you give traditionalists?
GM: We don’t want to be retrospective with this car, but we do want to be relevant. The Defender was never ‘designed’, in a modern sense. Those days have passed. But just like the original, the DC100 needs to be extremely robust. It needs to be the toughest daddy.
How will design themes shown in the DC100 evolve?
GM: Land Rover is becoming more sophisticated. We’ve proved that design can lead our products. At their core, they must have capability, but look at what happened with Evoque. Ultimately, if we get the basics right, we can dress it up how we like.
Would you label this concept as a success?
GM: We’re looking for feedback. We need to be rational and we need to find out what’s going to resonate with buyers. This concept can answer the questions we need to address about size and proportion.
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