17 Jan 08
LRX is a cross-coupe, a new segment for the car industry. As a designer, how easy a segment is it to design for?
Well, the segment doesn't really exist at the moment.
Land Rover comes from a product design approach, which gives you permission to make jumps. And the brand has always been an innovator in segments - the Range Rover was the first luxury SUV, for example. Land Rover has never followed the market.
When designing a new car, what's important is not the segment, but the emotional connection, like with the Mini or the Audi TT, for example. Land Rover is a contemporary brand that recognises its heritage, a heritage that many have an emotional connection with.
LRX is unmistakably a Land Rover, but it's more urban than rural. Can you see Land Rover ever producing a car that is totally urban-oriented?
LRX is more urban, definitely, and Land Rover has always had a hardcore 4x4 customer base.
So I'm not sure whether Land Rover would ever build a totally urban car, but as time goes on, the balance of on-road and off-road capabilities might well change, so we'll have to see.
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