Land Rover surprised us all with the Range Rover SV Coupe at the Geneva Motor Show last year. It was a factory-designed, custom two-door powered by a 577-horsepower V8. Only 999 units were to be handmade at Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations in Coventry, each for $295,000. At the time, that was $63,000 more dear than a Bentley Bentayga, but far more exclusive. We wrote of it, "the SV Coupe might be the heaviest and most opulent trial balloon we'll encounter this year." Turns out the trial balloon didn't get off the ground, since Land Rover told Auto Express the model's been canceled.
Customers who put down deposits and configured their vehicles were told they wouldn't be getting one. Land Rover didn't say how many buyers had stepped forward, but claimed some of them had plumped their vehicles up to £340,000, from the UK's base price of £295,000. That £45,000 in options could have bought a new Range Rover Velar over yonder.
Land Rover gave a vague statement to Auto Express about why it the SV coupe was scrapped: "We've taken the difficult decision to inform our customers that the Range Rover SV Coupe will not proceed into production. Instead, we're focusing our resources and investment on the next generation of world-class products."
The UK publication suspects profit considerations were behind the announcement. JLR has just begun a program of cost-cutting and layoffs to find £2.5 billion in savings, at the same time as it deals with challenging sales in general, and cratering sales in China, a very important market to the brand. Land Rover sales fell 33 percent in China in 2018, compared to 2017.
The SV Coupe would have marked a number of firsts at Range Rover: First to offer a metal finish, called Liquescence; first to offer a 23-inch wheel; first Range Rover to be handmade at SVO; and the first to be priced like England's other luxury vehicular royalty.
For now, the only newly-added SVO model heading to customers will be Jaguar F-Pace SVR. But, JLR, this is the second time you've pulled this in recent memory, after the C-X75, and frankly, we're still not over what happened to the XJ220. Next time you cry wolf, we'll be wary.
Related Video:
Customers who put down deposits and configured their vehicles were told they wouldn't be getting one. Land Rover didn't say how many buyers had stepped forward, but claimed some of them had plumped their vehicles up to £340,000, from the UK's base price of £295,000. That £45,000 in options could have bought a new Range Rover Velar over yonder.
Land Rover gave a vague statement to Auto Express about why it the SV coupe was scrapped: "We've taken the difficult decision to inform our customers that the Range Rover SV Coupe will not proceed into production. Instead, we're focusing our resources and investment on the next generation of world-class products."
The UK publication suspects profit considerations were behind the announcement. JLR has just begun a program of cost-cutting and layoffs to find £2.5 billion in savings, at the same time as it deals with challenging sales in general, and cratering sales in China, a very important market to the brand. Land Rover sales fell 33 percent in China in 2018, compared to 2017.
The SV Coupe would have marked a number of firsts at Range Rover: First to offer a metal finish, called Liquescence; first to offer a 23-inch wheel; first Range Rover to be handmade at SVO; and the first to be priced like England's other luxury vehicular royalty.
For now, the only newly-added SVO model heading to customers will be Jaguar F-Pace SVR. But, JLR, this is the second time you've pulled this in recent memory, after the C-X75, and frankly, we're still not over what happened to the XJ220. Next time you cry wolf, we'll be wary.
Related Video:
Featured Gallery 2019 Range Rover SV Coupe: Geneva 2018
View 10 Photos
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue