Will we all drive Range Rovers?

NOTHING ever stands still. Winston Churchill was arguably Britain’s greatest-ever statesman. He alone believed we could defeat the might of Nazi Germany and, thanks to him, we succeeded against all odds. Churchill was a great war leader, but when hostilities ceased he made the fatal mistake of thinking that everything would carry on much as it had before 1939. He believed the British Empire would go from strength to strength and reckoned we could carry on without a National Health Sevice. But he was wrong.

The world had moved on and when he called a general election he was defeated at the polls in a Labour landslide. He didn’t see it coming, because he was not a man of his time. He didn’t realise just how fast the world moves on.

“What’s all this got to do with the headline on this article?” you’re probably wondering. Well, when it comes to Land Rovers in general and Range Rovers in particular, quite a lot.

Like me, you probably see Land Rover as the parent company, with Range Rover as one of the subsidiary brands, along with Discovery and Defender. If so, you and I have a lot in common with the Rover car enthusiasts of the 1950s and 60s, who saw Land Rover as a minor player in the Rover family. Those enthusiasts didn’t realise that Land Rover, the sub-brand, was fast becoming the main player. They too didn’t realise how fast the world was changing.

Did you know that Land Rover’s bestselling car is the Range Rover Evoque. Tying for second place is the Range Rover Sport, which sells twice as many as the full-fat Range Rover.

The Evoque is already in its second generation, as is the Range Rover Sport. The latter is so important to company profits that a third generation will be appearing next year. That’s pretty good going considering the current model is only eight years old – just as its predecessor was replaced after barely eight years. These models are short-lived because potential buyers of new cars are swayed by the latest models. In these fast-moving times, the second-gen Range Rover Sport is already getting a bit long in the tooth to pull in the punters.

It’s all a far cry from those halcyon days when the original 1970 Range Rover remained in production for over 25 years; ditto the original Defender. And, just like Churchill after the second world war, we need to accept that.

We also need to accept that the bestselling Range Rover family is the important brand now. That’s why there are four of them (Evoque, Sport, Velar and the fifth incarnation of the full-fat original). There probably aren’t any gaps left between those models, so don’t be surprised if JLR introduces a sub-evoque baby model in the not-too-distant future. That would mean five members of the Range Rover family, compared to just one Defender and a couple of Discoverys – all becoming less important and more irrelevant with every passing year.

It’s clear the big money is in luxury 4x4s, which means the Range Rover name is worth much more than the Land Rover brand.

I mentioned earlier that many of us – me included – tend to think of Land Rover as the parent brand. It isn’t. It is part of Jaguar Land Rover and even that isn’t the parent company: that distinction belongs to Indian-owned Tata, a conglomerate with many interests worldwide. They will look at the balance sheet and see JLR as a company dominated by Range Rover models and, possibly, wonder why the money-maker isn’t given more prominence.

That’s why I say we might all be driving Range Rovers one day. You don’t believe the Land Rover name could ever disappear? Well, recall what happened to Rover cars – or, for that matter, all the other British marques that were best-sellers through the 1960s, 70s and 80s. You don’t see many Morris, Austin, Hillman, Wolseley, Triumph, Riley, Humber and Singer cars on the roads these days, do you?

There are certainly some big changes ahead for all motorists. All manufacturers, including JLR, appear to be fixated on developing all-electric cars, but the cut-off date when all new cars must be electric or plug-in hybrid is still nine years away. And despite the generous subsidies offered to drivers willing to make the switch, the public response has been pretty underwhelming.

Currently (no pun intended) about 14 per cent of new cars sold in the UK are electric. Presumably, the other 86 per cent of new car buyers still opting for diesel or petrol will be looking for models like the Range Rover Sport 3. Let’s hope so.

We all accept that everyone will be driving electric vehicles in the future. But there’s limited enthusiasm from motorists. It’s something we will have to do, rather than want to do. The same applies to autonomous vehicles, which the government is keen to promote, but I’ve yet to meet anyone rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of a self-driving car.

I had to laugh this week when I read that cars fitted with lane assistance systems will later this year be allowed on certain stretches of our motorways – provided they keep to a maximum speed of 37 mph! I can think of few things more dangerous than a car crawling along at low speed on a busy motorway. The accidents waiting happen are hardly likely to boost the popularity of autonomous driving.

EX-LRM Editor Dave has driven Land Rovers in most corners of the world, but loves the British countryside best

“You don’t believe the Land Rover name could ever disappear? Well, how many Rover, Morris, Austin, Hillman cars do you see on the roads these days?”