A week spent behind the wheel of a $96,600 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged was an opulent way to celebrate the brand's sixtieth birthday. It's a magnificent ride, no question, but its unconscionable thirst (12/18 mpg, city/highway; far worse with a heavy right foot) and high-maintenance reputation do prompt a prickly question: Can Land Rover survive in an America of four-dollar-plus gasoline?
Inspired by the World War II-era jeep (the original "center-steer" prototype, pictured above left, was actually built atop a Willys MB chassis), Land Rover was born in 1947, spawned from Britain's Rover Car Company. Over the years, the marque has seen a parade of owners, including British Leyland, British Aerospace, BMW, the Ford Motor Company, and now India's Tata Group.
These days, times are tough for Land Rover — at least here in North America. Sales are down a startling 44 percent from last year, despite record global sales of 227,000. The big worldwide tally was largely the result of huge volume increases in Russia and China (up 82 and 63 percent, respectively). The brand's twelve-month U.S.-market total of 2,557 vehicles (down from 4,211 during the same period a year ago) is about 200 cars more than the industry's biggest loser, Hummer.
Photos courtesy of Land Rover.
So can the brand be saved here? In Europe, Land Rover has rolled out a V-8 diesel version of the Range Rover that purportedly returns 32 percent better fuel economy than the normally aspirated gasoline V-8. No mention of a U.S. version. And we were impressed with the LRX concept, unveiled at this year's Detroit show, which featured a "highly fuel-efficient, U.S. Federal-specification, 2.0-liter, turbodiesel hybrid, capable of running on bio-diesel." Unfortunately, a production version is reportedly still three years away.
In the meantime, Land Rover's global presence seems secure. Tata and the great-grandson of its founder, Jamsetji Tata, aren't shy in stating their love for the brand and its vehicles. Whether Tata's affection can rejuvenate Land Rover in America as fuel prices climb, however, only time will tell.
