Land Rover celebrates its six million production
Land Rover is celebrating the production of its landmark 6,000,000th vehicle by giving it a unique design feature. The completion of a Yulong White Range Rover LWB Vogue SE on 2 April saw Land Rover hit the manufacturing milestone and the 6,000,000th vehicle has been fitted with a bespoke puddle lamp graphic to signify its unique status.
The luxury SUV takes centre stage at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show showcasing its one-off motif, which replaces the standard Range Rover silhouette projected by the vehicle’s puddle lamps. The image is created by an inscribed lens within the door mirror-mounted downlight and displaying the Land Rover logo and landmark figure.
The illuminated graphic, which is the width of a grain of rice, is projected through a magnifying lens onto the ground every time the vehicle is unlocked in an image which is 80cm in diameter. This same graphic was projected on to the wall of the Solihull manufacturing facility to mark the moment when the 6,000,000th vehicle rolled off the production line.
The 6,000,000th Land Rover debuts on the Land Rover stand at the Shanghai Auto Show, and will subsequently feature in a number of celebration events being staged in China to mark Range Rover’s 45th anniversary. Ultimately this special Range Rover will be sold in the region and its specially commissioned puddle lamps will serve as a permanent reminder of the significance of this unique model in Land Rover’s history.
Range Rover sits at the pinnacle of the Land Rover brand. The latest model was introduced in 2012 and matches class-leading axle articulation of 597mm, wading capability of 900mm and the ability to tow up to 3,500kg, with a range of state of-the-art petrol, diesel and Hybrid powertrains that successfully harness advanced technologies to deliver exceptional refinement, performance and efficiency.
In addition, the luxury SUV combines sophisticated exterior design and exquisite interior detailing with the exceptional luxury, comfort and fine attention to detail that are established Range Rover hallmarks. Of the 6,000,000 Land Rovers produced, more than 900,000 are Range Rover vehicles and the iconic luxury SUV is the first car to have been displayed at the world-famous Louvre museum in Paris, where it was cited as an ‘exemplary work of industrial design’.
The original Land Rover Series I was unveiled at the Amsterdam Motor Show on 30 April 1948, so this month marks the 67th anniversary of the brand. One-third of the 6,000,000 vehicles produced to date have been manufactured in the last eight years at Land Rover’s UK plants, in Solihull in the West Midlands and Halewood on Merseyside. The current model line-up includes Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque, Discovery, Discovery Sport and Defender.
LAND ROVER HISTORICAL TIMELINE
| 1947 | Original Land Rover project approved |
| 1948 | The Land Rover is launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show on 30th April |
| 1948 | First Station Wagon introduced |
| 1949 | British Army orders its first Land Rovers |
| 1950 | Freewheel 4×4 system replaced by selectable two or four-wheel-drive |
| 1953 | Long-wheelbase Land Rover introduced |
| 1957 | Diesel engine introduced |
| 1958 | Series II Land Rover unveiled with more refined styling |
| 1959 | 250,000th vehicle produced |
| 1961 | Series IIA with 2.25 diesel introduced |
| 1966 | 500,000th vehicle produced |
| 1970 | Original two-door Range Rover (the Classic) goes on sale |
| 1971 | Land Rover Series III launched |
| 750,000th Land Rover produced | |
| 1972 | Range Rover crosses the Darien Gap on the 18,000-mile British Army Trans-America expedition, taking 99 days to cover 250 miles of dense jungle |
| 1976 | 1,000,000th Land Rover built |
| 1977 | Range Rover wins 4×4 class in the 30,000km (18,750-mile) London-Sydney Marathon – the longest ever speed-based car rally |
| 1979 | A Range Rover wins the inaugural Paris-Dakar rally (and again in 1981) |
| 1981 | First production four-door Range Rover debuts along with the first factory-produced limited edition – the ‘In Vogue’ |
| 1982 | Automatic transmission introduced on Range Rover for first time |
| 1983 | Land Rover adopts coil sprung suspension with introduction of One Ten |
| 1984 | Land Rover Ninety introduced |
| 1985 | Diesel-powered ‘Bullet’ Range Rover breaks 27 speed records |
| 1987 | Range Rover launched in North America |
| 1989 | Range Rover is world’s first 4×4 to be fitted with anti-lock brakes |
| Land Rover Discovery is introduced as a three-door model only | |
| 1990 | Land Rovers are re-launched and renamed Defender 90, 110 and 130 with new 2.5-litre turbo-charged direct injection diesel engine |
| Five-door Discovery arrives | |
| 1992 | Land Rover North America is founded with a limited run of 500 Defender 110 vehicles powered by the 3.9-litre V8 engine |
| Range Rover is world’s first 4×4 to be fitted with electronic traction control and automatic electronic air suspension | |
| 1993 | Land Rover North America follows up the success of the launch of the Defender 110 with the Defender 90 soft top |
| 1994 | Second-generation (P38A) Range Rover introduced |
| Discovery launched in USA | |
| 1997 | Land Rover Freelander launched |
| 1998 | Discovery II launched |
| 2001 | 3,000,000th Land Rover produced is a Freelander |
| 2001 | Third-generation Range Rover introduced |
| 2002 | 500,000th Range Rover is produced at the Solihull plant |
| 2004 | Discovery 3 introduced at New York Auto Show |
| 2005 | Range Rover Sport launched |
| 2006 | All-new Freelander 2 introduced |
| 2007 | 4,000,000th Land Rover produced is a Discovery |
| 2009 | Discovery 4/LR4 launched |
| Freelander TD4e (Stop/Start) introduced delivering 10% improvement in fuel consumption over previous model | |
| 2010 | Range Rover Evoque introduced |
| 2012 | Fourth-generation Range Rover introduced – the world’s first all-aluminium SUV |
| 2013 | Second-generation Range Rover Sport introduced before establishing record for production standard SUV at Pikes Peak |
| Land Rover Discoverys complete record-breaking London-Cape Town expedition, making 10,000- mile journey in 10 days | |
| 2014 | 500,000th Range Rover Sport sold |
| 2014 | Land Rover Discovery Sport introduced |
| 2015 | Exclusive Range Rover SV Autobiography Black edition launched at New York 6,000,000th Land Rover produced is a Range Rover LWB SE Vogue |
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