RECORD-BREAKING RANGE ROVER EVOQUE REACHES HALF A MILLION PRODUCTION MILESTONE

February 24, 2016 by Land Rover

◾500,000th Range Rover Evoque rolls off production line in Halewood, UK, just over four years after going on sale

◾Luxury compact SUV is the fastest-selling Land Rover ever produced

◾New Convertible joins five-door and Coupé models to complete the line-up

◾A new vehicle rolls off the Halewood production line every 80 seconds

Halewood, UK: 24 February 2016 – Land Rover is celebrating the production of its 500,000th Range Rover Evoque at Halewood, just over four years after deliveries of the luxury compact SUV commenced.

Evoque is the fastest-selling and most successful Land Rover ever produced, having become the quickest to reach the half-a-million vehicle production landmark.

One in every three Land Rovers sold around the world is an Evoque and strong global demand ensures the production line at Halewood is in operation 24 hours a day, with a new vehicle coming off the line every 80 seconds.

Gerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer, Land Rover, said: 'Evoque has been a huge success for Land Rover winning more than 165 international awards, bringing new customers to the brand and evolving to stay ahead of the competition. With our bold new Evoque Convertible we have broadened the range and will attract even more new customers to the brand.'

The launch of the Evoque marked a major milestone in the transformation of the fortunes of the Halewood manufacturing plant which welcomed £250mn of investment to bring this award winning model to market. Its arrival at the Merseyside based site saw the introduction of a third shift and in just four the plant's workforce trebled and production quadrupled. Evoque continues to support Range Rover's reputation for engineering excellence and innovation. For the 2016 model year, the luxury compact SUV was enhanced with refinements to the ground breaking exterior design including the availability of full-LED adaptive headlamps – a first for Jaguar Land Rover. An advanced line-up of new Ingenium diesel engines also delivers best-in-class CO2 emissions of 109g/km and fuel consumption of 68mpg (4.2 l/100km), making Evoque the most efficient Land Rover model.

The striking new Evoque Convertible made its world debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November 2015. When it goes on sale from Spring 2016, it will be the only luxury compact SUV convertible in the world.

Richard Else, Operations Director, Halewood, said: The Range Rover Evoque has been a fantastic success for Halewood and for Jaguar Land Rover. We are very proud of our award winning SUV and we are looking forward to welcoming the new Evoque Convertible to Halewood very soon.'

The completion of the 500,000th Evoque is the latest in a series of Land Rover production milestones achieved recently. In April 2015, Land Rover celebrated its 6,000,000th vehicle sold – a specially manufactured Range Rover Vogue SE LWB fitted with unique puddle lamp designs to mark the occasion.

In June 2015, Land Rover marked the 2,000,000th Series Land Rover and Defender vehicle with a bespoke model assembled by key figures from the legendary 4x4's past. It was auctioned at Bonhams auction house in London, UK, on 16 December to raise funds for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Born Free Foundation, fetching £400,000 to be shared equally between both charities.

First UK customer deliveries of the new Evoque Convertible will be in June this year with prices starting from £47,500 for the HSE Dynamic.

2008 – LRX Concept wows the crowds at Detroit Motor Show
2010 – Range Rover Evoque revealed at Kensington Palace, UK
2011 – First production Evoque rolls of the Halewood production line
2012 – 100,000 milestone is reached in less than one year – the first Land Rover to achieve this
2013 – Evoque becomes one of the first passenger vehicles fitted with a nine-speed automatic
2014 – Luxury Union Jack-themed SW1 edition is latest in a series of special editions
2015 – Refreshed design, new technology and fresh powertrains introduced
2016 – New Convertible model introduced

Photo credit: Land Rover
posted on conceptcarz.com