Could a £25k Land Rover be on the cards?
News Reporter
A DRIVE by West Midlands Police to take swift action against the perpetrators of domestic abuse is expected to lead to dozens of arrests in coming days.
The push has been accompanied by a warning from officers that those inflicting ‘untold’ psychological and physical abuse on their partners face rapid action
Unprecedented resources are being put into tackling the problem after the number of domestic abuse cases reported to the force each week rose from around 769 between June and November last year to 881 at present.
On Friday, police arrested 38 people for domestic crimes, up from an average of around 30.
Domestic abuse has been
COULD a £25,000 Land Rover be in the pipeline as part of plans to expand the marque’s vehicle lineup?
Speculation has recently emerged that just such a vehicle could form part of Land Rover’s plans going forward.
The possibility has been mooted in a number of places, most notably by the car magazine Autocar.
If speculation proves to be correct the new model would be inspired by the new Land Rover Defender, which was unveiled in September 2019.
That would be welcomed by fans of the old Defender who would welcome a more basic and affordable addition to the range.
Talk of a ‘baby’ Land Rover has always been around - ever since the original Freelander model was launched.
The Freelander proved a big success for Land Rover in both Freelander and Freelander 2 forms, before being replaced by the Land Rover Discovery Sport.
The Discovery Sport is way larger than a Freelander of old and with a starting price of more than £31,000 is not cheap.
But a £25,000 Land Rover would bring many new buyers to the Land Rover brand.
Currently the smallest SUV in the Jaguar Land Rover stable is the Jaguar E-Pace.
It has been suggested that it was originally planned to be a Land Rover vehicle rather than a Jaguar.
Much of the detail on what the £25,000 Land Rover would be like was described by Hilton Holloway writing in Autocar.
He said the new vehicle, which would be cheaper in real terms than any previous Land Rover model, is believed to be codenamed L860 and is expected to arrive in 2021.
He added that the new model is said to draw heavily on the new Defender as well as referencing the original Land Rover.
Also that it will not be as squareedged and mechanical as the controversial 2011 DC100 concept.
The DC100 concept was originally unveiled as a possible Defender replacement but the design was not well received by Land Rover aficionados.
On the inside it is believed the new model will also adopt the
Police efforts across the West Midlands have been stepped up.
Automatic Number plate Recognition cameras (ANPR) are being used, with officers ready to more functional look of the new Defender.
As to what the new model might be called, speculation is limited.
It is not thought likely it would adopt either a Defender or Discovery name.
Autocar suggests it could be something as simple as the Land Rover 80, a reference to the wheelbase of the original Series 1 Land Rover.
Footage of an early Land Rover open day in Solihull showing the original Land Rover in action
According to Autocar the new model would compete against vehicles like the Jeep Compass, Mini Countryman, Volkswagen Tiguan, BMW X1 and Volvo XC40.
From a strategic perspective such a new model would help Jaguar Land Rover cope with incoming EU CO2 regulations and the requirement to hit an average of 130g/km of CO2 by 2021.
It is thought that the new baby Land Rover would be built in the car maker’s Slovakian factory alongside the new Defender and the latest Discovery.
Labour costs are significantly lower in the former Easter bloc country, something which could help keep the price down. stop cars belonging to those listed as wanted.
West Midlands Police is encouraging victims of domestic abuse who haven’t spoken to the force before to get in touch so they can be helped and protected.
Det Ch Supt Paul Drover said: “This is all about protecting the most vulnerable people in the West Midlands.
“Arresting those who cause untold damage to people, relationships and families is now our number one priority, and we’re using teams from across the force to achieve that. If you know you’re wanted for a domestic offence, now’s the time to hand yourself in before we bring you in ourselves.
“Domestic abuse comes in a whole range of forms, and sometimes people won’t even realise themselves that they have become a victim. To those people, I’d say that we stand ready to listen to you, to help you, and most importantly, to protect you.”
A year ago, we marked the introduction of new laws to support domestic abuse victims by focusing on rising levels of the often hidden crime.
It followed a Coventry City Council report warning that rates of reported abuse were “significantly higher” in the city compared with the rest of England. The local authority introduced a new domestic violence strategy based on the principle of the four Ps Prepare, Prevent, Protect and Pursue.
A specialist Coventry Police domestic abuse unit also helps protect vulnerable partners from some of the most high risk offenders in the city.