New Range Rover Velar in London

Taking its place alongside the design greats of all time, the Design Museum, London, welcomed a new exhibit this evening: the Range Rover Velar.

Velar launches with a suite of consumer technologies, working together to create an in-built technology butler. At its heart is an all-new, cutting-edge infotainment system called Touch Pro Duo.

Dubbed Blade by development engineers because of its slender profile and clean surfaces, the innovation makes the in-car technology experience clearer, quicker and more enjoyable, enhancing every journey, said a statement.

The fourth member of the Range Rover family was unveiled in spectacular style at the Design Museum to a capacity audience who also enjoyed a Velar photographic exhibition by world renowned photographer Gary Bryan. The images are now being showcased on the brand’s Instagram channel: @landrover

Velar is the first vehicle to be launched and displayed at the new Design Museum, which opened to the public in November 2016 after moving from its original Shad Thames location. The new model was simultaneously shown for one night only in a pop-up display in Kensington High Street, West London, alongside the Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover.

Velar will be on public display in the Design Museum in a unique installation, until March 5. The exhibit is called ‘Reductionism’, showcasing the philosophy of stripping away complexity to reveal true quality.

The last time Land Rover displayed a vehicle in this way was in the early 1970s when the original Range Rover was shown at the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris, as an example of “exemplary industrial design”.

Jaguar Land Rover also announced a partnership with the Design Museum, which will bring a series of collaborations, exhibitions and events to the museum over the next three years.  

Land Rover chief design officer Gerry McGovern said: “We are delighted to be able to begin our partnership with the Design Museum with such a significant vehicle. The new Range Rover Velar brings a new dimension of modernity to our brand while reinforcing our total commitment to design and engineering excellence.”

The new Velar fills the space in the Range Rover family between the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport.

Refined for every occasion, for every terrain, Velar uses unique sustainable materials and advanced engineering to continue Land Rover’s drive to go Above and Beyond.

Created from a clean sheet using Jaguar Land Rover’s lightweight aluminium architecture, it is safer, stronger and cleaner and improves driving performance, the company said.

Velar continues Range Rover’s history of innovation, incorporating advanced technologies, compelling design and absolute attention to detail.

Peter Virk, Jaguar Land Rover’s director of connected car and future technology, said: “Two high-definition 10-inch touchscreens are your window into the world. The connected infotainment system learns from you and anticipates your needs, serving you what you want, when you want it – but never intrudes letting you enjoy the drive, while it takes the stress out of daily life, like any good butler or digital personal assistant should.”

Advanced consumer technology is reflected in the use of trend setting materials. Unique in the segment, the Velar offers a sustainable, premium textile seat material as an alternative to leather. The Dapple Grey material was developed together with Kvadrat, Europe’s leading manufacturer of high-quality design textiles, and is complemented with Suedecloth inserts.

Pivotal to the contemporary, design of Velar are the full Matrix-Laser LED headlights, the most slender ever to appear on a production Land Rover, the flush deployable door handles, and the Burnished Copper coloured detailing on the front bumper blades and fender vents.

Velar has a sophisticated four-corner suspension system, delivering peerless refinement with unrivalled comfort and control, it said.

Five engines are offered at launch, ranging from the clean, responsive 180PS 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel, to the potent 380PS supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine. A 300PS Ingenium petrol engine will join the Velar range later in 2017