Droptop Range Rover winning the ladies over
THE days of Range Rovers being the preserve of macho men and country types are long gone.
Now Jaguar Land Rover is tapping into the growing market for smaller four-wheel drives targeted at women.
The firm has created the world’s first compact 4x4 cabriolet – and it has already had 500 pre-orders in the UK since it was unveiled in November, many of which were from women.
A spokesman for the carmaker said: ‘It’s an incredible level of demand for the first Range Rover convertible from Land Rover – especially as the order books do not even open officially until the spring.’
Its popularity might be down to the fold-back soft top which has helped to make it a hit with a certain Bond girl.
Naomie Harris, who plays Miss Moneypenny alongside Daniel Craig’s 007, unveiled the Evoque Convertible at the Los Angeles Motor Show.
She said: ‘Moneypenny driving an Evoque Convertible? I think she has this kind of alterego which is really glamorous.
‘She’d absolutely love it. Driving around with the top down and the wind blowing in my hair, the sun shining, great music playing, I would be having a ball.’
Jaguar Land Rover says it has seen a much higher proportion of interest from women, a trend that started with the original, hardtop Evoque.
Women accounted for 40 per cent of sales of that model – a significant shift for the firm away from its traditional rugged image.
Prices of the new convertible range from £47,500 for diesel to £52,400 for the lux petrol model. It will be built by the 4,500- strong workforce at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood factory in Liverpool.
The model should help drive the sports utility vehicle (SUV) market which is forecast to grow by 20 per cent over the next five years.
More than 500,000 Evoques have been sold globally since launching in 2011.