Tata Motors is gearing up to launch its new generation Range Rover at the Paris Auto Show today.
Tata Motors Thursday unveiled the next-generation Range Rover in London, two weeks before the vehicle is launched at the Paris Motor Show on September 27.
The Range Rover is the first SUV from Tata Motors' Jaguar Land Rover stable to use an all-aluminium monocoque body, making the vehicle lighter by as much as 120 kg compared to its predecessor. A monocoque body supports the vehicle's structural load, without just enveloping the structure, thus reducing the load of the internal frame that bears most of the weight.
Despite the slight increase in dimensions—it is 27 mm longer than its predecessor—the vehicle stays overall shorter than rivals like the Audi Q7 or Mercedes-Benz GL.
The new Range Rover will also be the first Land Rover offering to feature a hybrid variant—a diesel.
The five-door off-roader will be available in three engine variants—V8 petrol, V8 diesel and V6 diesel.
The company has spent £1 billion on the entire project. This is because the Range Rover's new architecture demanded technology enhancements for the manufacturing processes too.
Most Range Rover variants will likely breach £100,000 in the UK, but interestingly the entry variant starts at £72,000—the same price as the outgoing Range Rover.
Codenamed L405, the new Range Rover, especially the headlamps and the grille, bears a slight resemblance to the popular Evoque.
This fourth-generation vehicle, which was announced in August 2012, is marginally lengthier than the outgoing version and equipped with a new version of the Terrain Response feature, which can sense the terrain the vehicle is in and adjust its setting accordingly.
The new design's wheelbase has been stretched by 40mm. It also sits a little lower and has a slightly wider body compared with the outgoing version.
The Range Rover models accounted for nearly 14 per cent of Land Rover sales in fiscal 2012.
