17 Jan 08
This is your first project of your current tenure at Land Rover. How much were you able to add to the existing design language?
Since I've been here, we've been looking at Land Rover design and ways in which we can move it forward relevantly.
The LRX is a natural progression for the brand, but we wanted it to be exciting and dramatic too. So we took Land Rover design cues such as the clamshell bonnet and the stance, and given them a new twist.
In fact, when we started on the LRX project, we designed four different concepts and took them to our customers to ask their opinions. They weren't badged at all, but they all looked at the winning design and said that it was unmistakably a Land Rover and the most appropriate for the brand.
But in addition to existing customers, we want to appeal to new customers, with women a particular market that LRX will work for, thanks to its proportions, compact size and rugged looks.
LRX is purely a concept. So how much will the production version of the car resemble it and what's most likely to change?
LRX looks believable and realistic, which was important to us: we were passionate about delivering a car very much like that.
The interior might change to ensure that it meets safety regulations and depending on the reality of the costs of some of the processes we've used.
We've built the car largely to gauge customer reaction, but we felt that despite being a concept, it had to be believable.
