Land Rover is showing a second version of its stylish LRX concept here at Geneva alongside the white original that was one of the stars of the Detroit Show in January. Those with sharp eyes will notice the new LRX has a new paint scheme, new wheels, a roof rack, a rear bumper step, and a couple of other new details. So what's it all mean?
"It's to show how we can develop a mass-customization program for the vehicle," says LRX designer Gerry McGovern. The two-tone paint -- a silver roof over black body -- gives a clue: Yep, this is Land Rover's take on BMW's wildly successful Mini strategy, where consumers can mix 'n' match colors and accessories to the point where almost no two Minis are exactly alike.
So does this mean the LRX is close to a production reality? "The question is what we should do and when we should do it," says Land Rover boss Phil Popham. "Not if we should do it." Final details have yet to be worked out, but you can take that as confirmation that the LRX, which shares a lot of its mechanical hardware with the LR2 cute ute, is headed to a Land Rover showroom near you. Likely launch date? At least three years from now.
But will it be a Land Rover? Or will it be a baby Range Rover, filling an obvious gap in the range under the wildly successful Range Rover Sport? "I see the LRX as a Land Rover, not a Range Rover," says Popham emphatically. "If we do a small Range Rover we will do it differently, because there are different expectations in terms of performance and interior."