There’s no denying that the Evoque, the most compact model ever to wear the Range Rover badge, has been a smash hit for the company, having sold more than 90,000 units since its launch last year.
In fact, JATO Dymanics reports that European sales of the Evoque, which is available as a three- and five-door, were 27,685 vehicles in the first half of 2012; that’s almost as much of the rest of Land Rover’s range combined (29,891). In order to meet demand, JLR’s Halewood plant is working around the clock for the first time ever in its 50-year history.
The Evoque’s success has prompted the Tata Motors-owned company to consider building a luxury SUV below the compact Evoque.
Chief designer Gerry McGovern told Automotive News Europe that a smaller model could be in the cards: “Certainly, I think we can go smaller”, he said. “In a world focusing on sustainability, you could argue that smaller and lighter is the way to go.”
If Land Rover goes ahead with this project, the “mini Evoque” would be the only premium model in a segment occupied by mass manufacturers like Suzuki and Fiat.
The small SUV could face competition from Audi, though. The German automaker’s design boss, Stefan Seilaff, has already proposed a sub-Q3 SUV, probably based on the A1 platform. With the VW Group finding new niches and its model count expanding way faster than the universe, the Q1 wouldn’t seem out of place at all.
By Andrew Tsaousis
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