The Land Rover LRX Concept.
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IRVINE, Calif. Dec. 18, 2007 -- Land Rover unveils a vision of its future at the North American International Auto Show in January, with the world debut of the LRX concept -- a bold evolution of Land Rover design that indicates the brand’s progressive shift into new areas of the market, while remaining true to its core values.
As the company prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary during 2008, the three-door LRX, with its more compact size, lighter weight and sustainability focused technologies, clearly addresses the needs of a changing world.
"The LRX concept delivers the powerful message that we are as serious about sustainability as we are confident about the continuing relevance and desirability of our vehicles," says Phil Popham, Land Rover's managing director. "The LRX is in every respect a Land Rover, but it's a very different Land Rover.
"LRX has unmistakable Land Rover design and the breadth of capability that you'd expect from our vehicles. But it carries those essentials into a segment where the brand has never been before, and with a proposed level of efficiency that would make it one of the cleanest vehicles in its class.
It is Land Rover's way of affirming the brand's responsible approach to future product development. At this stage, LRX is purely a concept, designed to help us develop our thinking as well as gauge customer reaction -- but this feels like a hugely exciting direction to take."
The LRX is described as a cross-coupé, and dramatically extends the scope of what Land Rover stands for. Though smaller than the LR2, the LRX is conceived as a premium car, designed to appeal to new customers in the luxury and executive sector -- those who want many of the benefits of a 4x4 and the visual presence of a larger vehicle, but in a more compact package.
The first all-new Land Rover revealed since Gerry McGovern became the company's design director, LRX is a natural extension of the Land Rover range, complementing the existing models with a car that will help to define a new segment. Its many recognizable Land Rover design cues include bold new interpretations of the signature clamshell hood, the floating roof and the solid 'wheel-at-each-corner' stance.
Its compact size is one of its greatest assets, which will appeal to anyone who wants the versatile ability of an agile SUV with the cachet of the Land Rover name. In addition, its lower weight and the reduced aerodynamic drag resulting from the smaller frontal area give significant gains in fuel efficiency and reduced C02 emissions.
The LRX concept also adopts intelligent power management systems and other technologies first shown by Land Rover in the Land_e concept in 2006. Further details of the LRX's powertrain and sustainability technologies will be released at the Detroit Auto Show.
The positioning of LRX could be described as moving subtly from traditional SUV to crossover, with its more car-like appearance and dynamics that are sportier and on-road biased.
To help achieve this, it has full-time four-wheel drive and Hill Descent Control, as well as a special version of Land Rover's acclaimed Terrain Response system, to optimize traction on difficult surfaces ranging from icy roads to wet grass, gravel and snow. But to reflect LRX's more on-road bias, Terrain Response also gains a new "Eco" mode for lower emission urban driving.
The design of the LRX was developed entirely in-house, driven by a passion to create a car that truly represents Land Rover's future thinking. It has a very dynamic profile, with a distinctive taper to the floating roofline and a muscular shoulder running the length of the car, accentuated by the rising beltline.
The glazing wraps right around the LRX, with no exposed pillars, creating a bold design graphic. The architectural structure of the upper body can be glimpsed through the windows and roof -- echoing some of the best contemporary buildings.
Pushing the wheels out to the four corners helps give the car its purposeful stance, and its front-end design makes a powerful and instantly recognizable statement of Land Rover's identity. There are new interpretations of Land Rover's traditional clamshell hood, distinctive headlamps, jewel-like, tapering blade front and rear turn indicators, and subtle side vents. The LRX’s wheel arches are wide but softly integrated, housing 20-inch alloy wheels.
The carefully sculpted corners dramatically reduce the car's visual overhangs front and rear. With its perforated two-bar grille, door releases concealed in the car's shoulders, and graphic details "punched out" of the smooth body surfaces rather than overlaid on them, the LRX is beautifully proportioned and elegantly simple -- but very dramatic and distinctive.
The interior of the LRX concept clearly demonstrates how a compact Land Rover can still be roomy, practical and versatile -- and one with great sophistication. The impeccably executed cabin features a combination of soft leathers in rich tan and dark chocolate, with polished aluminum details.
The "fast" sloping architecture of the center console reflects the LRX's sporty dynamics, as does the distinctive binnacle over the instrument panel. The electronic display uses "floating" LCD graphics to create a three-dimensional look that can be personalized for different drivers, as well as interacting with the LRX's touch-screen display.
The instrument graphics present data in layers depending on their level of importance, to give maximum relevant information with minimum distraction. When appropriate, displayed information transfers between the main instrument cluster and the touch screen. And further adding to the LRX’s involving personality, the different drivetrain modes are matched by changes in the cabin's background lighting color -- green in economy, red in sports and blue in standard mode.
Although the LRX is compact, clever use of space makes it impressively roomy, and many neat design touches maximize its practicality. A second touch screen area gives a fully interactive display and control for the LRX's iPhone docking facility. On either side of the horizontally split, power-operated tailgate, removable and power-adjustable speakers include an iPod docking station.
There is also a cooler box, plus a bottle chiller that can be clipped to the lowered tailgate. This also has integral aluminum cupholders between two padded seating areas, for a new twist on the idea of a traditional Land Rover tailgate lunch.
Every interior design detail combines to maximize both actual space and the feeling of space. The clear roof is supported by a "spider" frame running into the A-pillars, and the rear quarter pillars have glazed apertures for improved visibility and a lighter feel in the cabin.
The LRX's distinctive seats "float" on individual plinths and have open frameworks to reinforce the impression of light, airy interior space -- while also creating useful under-seat and under-floor stowage areas. The clever, powered mechanism of the seat backs maximizes interior flexibility and helps create a large, flat storage area when needed, complete with multiple tie-down options. The generous load space and through-loading option also help accommodate bikes, skis or surfboards.
