New models from both Jaguar and Land Rover are set to be unveiled at next month’s LA Auto Show, it has been revealed.
Although the Midland car-maker is remaining tight-lipped, industry insiders expect the new Jaguar model to be the F-Type Coupe, a hard-topped version of the two-seater convertible launched earlier this year.
Land Rover, meanwhile, is being tipped to unveil one of two variants of models launched earlier this year – a high-performance version of the Range Rover Sport, nicknamed the ‘RS’, or a long wheelbase version of the Range Rover.
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Spy shots have been captured of both models during testing and it is thought both are close to completion.
The stretched Range Rover is believed to have been in development for some time, with the SUV-maker seeing it as an opportunity to make further inroads into emerging markets, particularly China.
A Jaguar Land Rover insider said: “It was initially produced as an exercise to see if it would work and ultimately it’s a case of whether there is a market for it.
“Many people buying luxury cars in China want a lot of space in the back and there would certainly be a potential market there for a vehicle of that sort.”
If the car goes into production it would be the first factory-produced stretched Range Rover since the LSE version of the original model.
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Thought to be more than five metres long, most of the additional length would provide extra room in the rear of the cabin, though it could also offer extended boot space.
When the latest Range Rover was launched earlier this year Land Rover bosses stressed it was a luxury car first and foremost, rather than just a luxury SUV. A longer and bigger Range Rover would be seen as the perfect extension to that philosophy and a vehicle that could compete with executive saloons like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Audi A8.
Speculation suggests it might have a starting price of around £125,000.
Jaguar’s F-Type Convertible has proved a roaring success since its launch earlier this year and the Coupe version would almost certainly follow in its wake.
The model is expected to stick closely to the design blueprint of the C-X16 coupe concept developed by Jaguar.
Speculation has also been rife about Jaguar Land Rover’s future model plans, with Jaguar indicating it could launch four new models based on its recently-unveiled lightweight aluminium architecture.
Speaking to the trade press, Jaguar Land Rover’s group strategy director, Adrian Hallmark, said a product offensive by Jaguar could see four new models join the line-up by 2018.
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They include a compact executive saloon, set to be launched in 2015 which would compete against the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4, as well as estate and coupe versions of it and an SUV.
Land Rover is also developing a successor to its Freelander 2 SUV. Preparations for the new car, codenamed the L550, are thought to be already under way at the firm’s Halewood factory, with some reports suggesting the car could be badged as a ‘Baby Discovery’ when it is unveiled next year.