Convertible extends Ingenium applications

Land Rover has unveiled the world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible.
 According to Land Rover, the Range Rover Evoque Convertible combines the bold design and refinement of Evoque with comprehensive specification and a sophisticated folding roof to create a no compromise, all-season convertible.

Land Rover’s full suite of lightweight, all-aluminium four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines is available with the 240 bhp Si4 petrol providing outstanding levels of performance and refinement.

Diesel power comes from Land Rover’s 2-litre Ingenium engines which provide efficient and refined performance with fuel economy up to 55 mile/gal (5.1 l/100km) and CO₂ emissions of 149g/km.

Land Rover adds that the ground breaking and distinctive shape of the original Range Rover Evoque lends itself to an elegant convertible design and the new model sits at the pinnacle of the Evoque portfolio as the most exclusive and capable convertible in the world.

As the fifth member of the Range Rover family – and the first ever convertible – the highly desirable new model combines traditional Range Rover luxury with a distinctive four-seat design and versatile storage.

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible has been engineered to meet Land Rover’s most rigorous standards, ensuring exceptional structural rigidity, trademark refinement, outstanding levels of safety and unrivalled breadth of capability.

The global SUV market is forecast to grow by 20 per cent over the next five years and Evoque Convertible the company claims the new cars will play a key role in continuing Range Rover’s 45-year success story, pioneering an all-new SUV sector.

Still to come is the next generation Defender, the Job 1 date for which is 2019. Some time to go yet before the new facility at Nitra, in western Slovakia, gets fully under way. As we reported on 11 August this year, the plant will have an eventual capacity of 300,000 vehicles a year with Defender a key item among the product line-up. And as we reported, the facility will make extensive use of aluminium components for vehicles built at the plant, with Henrob's self-piercing rivets (SPR) a key metal-joining technique also.