It’s been a busy week for Land Rover. The Shanghai motorshow Auto Shanghai has been the centre of much of the news that has been announced by the company this week, so let’s take a look!
First off, the row between Land Rover and a Chinese company which erupted in November 2014 over the alleged copying of the unique Evoque design has come to a standstill.
The Copy-Cat Car
Revealed at the Guangzhou Motor Show in 2014, the Chinese vehicle, the LandWind X7, provoked Land Rover to sit up and take note when it was noticed to bear a striking resemblance to the Range Rover Evoque model; the manufacturer’s best selling variant to date.
However, Land Rover’s Chief Executive Ralf Speth has revealed that the company may have to put up with having this similar vehicle being around. In a media briefing at Auto Shanghai, Mr Speth reported “There are no laws to protect us. We have to take it as it is. It’s a pity, but it is as it is”
He went on further to say “In Europe, we can be protected against this kind of copy-paste in the design language, the features but also the technology. You can’t be protected in China.”
This is a great blow to the massive sales push Land Rover are currently engaged in within China, but the company believes this “copy-paste” notion is damaging the Chinese industry.
The LandWind X7 isn’t on the market yet, but it is expected to cost just a fraction of the Evoque’s price. It is on show at Auto Shanghai this week and is expected to go on sale in July or August this year. With China currently being Land Rover’s most popular market, executives are rightfully worried as to how much this copy-cat will affect sales within the country.
Celebrate with Land Rover!
It’s not all bad news for Land Rover though. The manufacturer has reached an impressive figure; its 6,000,000th production model has just been unveiled at Auto Shanghai this week. It has been 67 years since the company released its first model in 1948.
The newest addition to the manufacturer’s repertoire is a white Range Rover LWB Vogue SE, which was completed on April 2nd 2015 in the Solihull factory in the UK.
This luxurious SUV is fitted with a bespoke puddle lamp graphic; an innovation that projects a special silhouette depicting the Land Rover logo with “6,000,000” and “April 2015” onto the ground from the door mirror when the car is unlocked.
It is also very fitting that the 6 millionth car produced is a Range Rover, as this model celebrates the 45th anniversary of its launch. More than 900,000 of the 6 million machines produced by Land Rover have been Range Rover vehicles.
So when will we be able to see this car in the UK? Sadly, the machine is staying in China, as the growth of Chinese sales has greatly improved since the latest 2012 version of the Range Rover.
With its cutting-edge technology, such as rear seat entertainment systems and heated windscreen, the Evoque has managed to take the lead in the smaller SUV market and hold its own against some pretty tough competitors.
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