Latest / The Overland Journal Podcast / Celebrating 50 Years of Range Rover: A Conversation on Heritage, Evolution, and the Future

Transcript

Celebrating 50 Years of Range Rover: A Conversation on Heritage, Evolution, and the Future · The Overland Journal Podcast

0:05
Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the Overland Journal podcast. I'm your host,
0:08
Speaker 1: Scott Brady, and I'm here with my co host Matt Scott,
0:12
Speaker 1: and we're going to talk today about.
0:15
Speaker 2: The coolest car you ever made and the only one
0:18
Speaker 2: to ever be displayed in the louver.
0:20
Speaker 1: That's right, So yeah, I believe so, and we are.
0:23
Speaker 1: We are coming up on the fiftieth anniversary of the
0:27
Speaker 1: rain Drover, and this is a vehicle that I've that
0:30
Speaker 1: I've owned several of the models and enjoyed personally and
0:34
Speaker 1: traveled traveled on various continents with and certainly have a
0:38
Speaker 1: lot of wonderful memories associated with and that goes well
0:42
Speaker 1: beyond my memories associated with land Rover in general. But
0:45
Speaker 1: we're very fortunate today to have Simon Turner with us.
0:49
Speaker 1: Simon Turner is the land Rover product manager for the
0:54
Speaker 1: entire land Rover family, and he has been extremely gracious
0:58
Speaker 1: with his time to day with Matt and I talking
1:01
Speaker 1: about the range Rover. And thank you so much, Simon
1:05
Speaker 1: for being on the call.
1:06
Speaker 3: It's a pleasure to be here, glad to do it well.
1:10
Speaker 1: One of the first things that comes to mind for
1:13
Speaker 1: me is just how clandestine and cool the launch of
1:17
Speaker 1: the original range Rover was I mean it was. It
1:20
Speaker 1: was nearly in the spirit of James Bond with this
1:24
Speaker 1: disguised model as the Volar. Can you share a little
1:28
Speaker 1: bit about what was the excitement internally and what was
1:32
Speaker 1: some of what were some of the emotions that were
1:35
Speaker 1: happening within land Rover when this new model came.
1:37
Speaker 2: Did you know that you had something that would kind
1:39
Speaker 2: of change the automotive landscape. I mean, think of the
1:42
Speaker 2: luxury suv. You know space right now. I mean it's huge,
1:47
Speaker 2: there's so many I mean, it really started this vehicle
1:51
Speaker 2: an entire genre of the automotive industry.
1:54
Speaker 3: Yes, and in some ways we like to think of
1:58
Speaker 3: it to mende the era of the suv in the
2:03
Speaker 3: sense we know it today. So way back in the
2:07
Speaker 3: forties where when the original end of the products were conceived,
2:12
Speaker 3: I don't think we had any idea what it might
2:15
Speaker 3: lead to. But during that period from the forties to
2:19
Speaker 3: nineteen seventy when the range Rover was really born, that
2:24
Speaker 3: was a period after the Second World War where there
2:27
Speaker 3: was just a lot of excitement that grew up in
2:29
Speaker 3: many areas of the auto industry. And I think prior
2:34
Speaker 3: to nineteen seventy when the products did come to life,
2:38
Speaker 3: there was a couple of times when some of the
2:42
Speaker 3: management team and senior executives actually did realize that they
2:46
Speaker 3: probably was a really good opportunity there for something that
2:50
Speaker 3: was more luxurious, had certainly a similar level of capability,
2:56
Speaker 3: but just was presented in a more upmarket way. And
3:00
Speaker 3: although those ideas didn't come to lights initially when they
3:05
Speaker 3: were conceived six ten years later, eight to ten years later,
3:09
Speaker 3: the early seventies was when we saw this tremendously exciting
3:12
Speaker 3: time and then the range Rover was born and it
3:18
Speaker 3: really did come around in the marketplace. That's really what
3:23
Speaker 3: was seemed to be the start of that suv era.
3:27
Speaker 3: So in many ways we think of it, you know,
3:29
Speaker 3: from that perspective, we were one of the early pioneers
3:34
Speaker 3: in that segment, in the suv segment, and really set
3:38
Speaker 3: the scene for what the segments in the suv market
3:42
Speaker 3: would become so influential, really exciting time. And thats off
3:49
Speaker 3: to the guys who originated the idea because they were
3:53
Speaker 3: I think well ahead of the time.
3:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think one of the coolest things is
3:57
Speaker 2: that fifty years later, you know, as we kind of
3:59
Speaker 2: spoke we're coming on that big anniversary, you're still kind
4:03
Speaker 2: of defining the segment, and I think that that's really
4:07
Speaker 2: I don't know, I find that fascinating. Fifty years of
4:10
Speaker 2: endurance of a product still being class leading and still
4:13
Speaker 2: being defining. Yeah, I mean it's an interesting vehicle.
4:19
Speaker 1: It really is. And it leads to in my mind,
4:22
Speaker 1: when the range Over first came out, it was a
4:25
Speaker 1: solution to the country wagon. It was a high clearance
4:29
Speaker 1: vehicle that you could drive to church, you could drive
4:32
Speaker 1: it to the store, you could drive it to a
4:34
Speaker 1: business meeting, you could pull the horse trailer with it,
4:37
Speaker 1: and then you could also get out into the field
4:39
Speaker 1: if you needed to. And I think it's in my mind,
4:43
Speaker 1: having owned many range Rovers, it's that breadth of capability
4:47
Speaker 1: that was always most endearing to me. Do you feel
4:51
Speaker 1: like that is that was the original intent? Was that
4:54
Speaker 1: breadth of capability? And do you feel like that is
4:57
Speaker 1: still an emphasis in new product designed for range Rover today?
5:05
Speaker 3: Yes, it's absolutely key for us and it underpins everything
5:10
Speaker 3: we do as a business, not just on range Rover,
5:14
Speaker 3: but on the span of land Rover products as well.
5:17
Speaker 3: Every land Rover is designed and developed with capability at
5:22
Speaker 3: its time, and it is just one of the things
5:26
Speaker 3: that we will not sacrifice. We put lots of time
5:31
Speaker 3: and energy into making sure that our products compete effectively
5:36
Speaker 3: in the marketplace. And one of the things that really appeals,
5:40
Speaker 3: particularly with range Rover, to the customers and the client
5:44
Speaker 3: how we sell to is that mindset of confidence and
5:50
Speaker 3: inspiring confidence for them to attack their lives in whatever
5:55
Speaker 3: way they deem appropriate for them. Without the capability, without
6:02
Speaker 3: that breadth of capability, we just would not have the
6:07
Speaker 3: recipe that we've got and the resonance we have with
6:10
Speaker 3: the client selling customers we've built relationships with.
6:17
Speaker 2: You know, one of the things I always think of
6:19
Speaker 2: with the range Rover is that it's such a stable
6:21
Speaker 2: platforms it excels in almost everything that it does. I've
6:25
Speaker 2: had these vehicles on everything from twisty roads where it's
6:29
Speaker 2: a pleasurable vehicle to drive. It's a nice experience, it's quiet,
6:32
Speaker 2: it's comfortable, and I've had these things driving up the
6:35
Speaker 2: waterfall and you know, poisoned spider and moab and everything
6:39
Speaker 2: that they do within their limit is just it's kind
6:41
Speaker 2: of effortless. And I think that that's a really really
6:43
Speaker 2: cool aspect of that vehicle because there are you know,
6:47
Speaker 2: competitive vehicles, but I feel like there's nobody that has
6:50
Speaker 2: that massive breadth of capability. I mean, they can be
6:53
Speaker 2: more comfortable than a traditional touring sedan and then they
6:56
Speaker 2: can be as capable as you know.
6:59
Speaker 3: I think that's absolutely right, and we focus on that
7:02
Speaker 3: front and foremost, there are many many great SUVs out
7:05
Speaker 3: there in the marketplace that we view what we do
7:09
Speaker 3: with range Rover is having just an exceptional level of
7:14
Speaker 3: capability and that breadth of capability you mentioned, but couple
7:17
Speaker 3: that with an exquisite in serial and the literary appointments
7:21
Speaker 3: and the refinement that the engineer for the products as well.
7:24
Speaker 3: That's just, we believe, a winning recipe and part of
7:29
Speaker 3: the reason of significant part of the reason range Rover
7:32
Speaker 3: has been successful over the years, and with.
7:37
Speaker 1: It all starting with the name the Lar, which ultimately
7:40
Speaker 1: came back into the lineup many decades later when I
7:44
Speaker 1: was doing some research on the history of the Lar.
7:47
Speaker 1: Just means to veil or to hide in Italian, I believe.
7:51
Speaker 1: And is are there any fun stories that you've got
7:55
Speaker 1: from the archives or from the folks that you've met
7:59
Speaker 1: through the years. And your selfeventeen years with land Rover
8:01
Speaker 1: where they talk a little bit about that history with
8:03
Speaker 1: the Volar.
8:06
Speaker 3: Well, I think it's pretty much exactly as you laid
8:09
Speaker 3: it out, and it was a little bit of a play,
8:13
Speaker 3: obviously clever, a clever play when we actually did the
8:18
Speaker 3: launch a product that was named v Lal in the
8:20
Speaker 3: later years, but certainly the early prototypes of the Rangel
8:26
Speaker 3: did you know, drive around with the name Vola on them.
8:29
Speaker 3: So I can well imagine I wasn't around at the
8:34
Speaker 3: time and involved, but I could really imagine that there
8:38
Speaker 3: were several people seeing it within the business had some
8:41
Speaker 3: fun with that, keeping it behind closed doors, as it were,
8:46
Speaker 3: and trying to make it fit in imagining that you
8:49
Speaker 3: can make a range of a fitting during that timeframe
8:52
Speaker 3: is kind of amusing as well. But that's nevertheless the story.
8:56
Speaker 3: So I don't have anything really more you need done
9:00
Speaker 3: that to share with you, But I think the selection
9:04
Speaker 3: of the name and the use of it back in
9:07
Speaker 3: that time it's clever, and you know, kind of underpins
9:13
Speaker 3: some of the advertising that we adopt with Range River,
9:20
Speaker 3: which is uniquely quite clever. Sometimes in the.
9:24
Speaker 2: Love of some of those range rovers something like that
9:28
Speaker 2: there's that iconic one with the White Range River with
9:30
Speaker 2: the mud on the mud on the side that I
9:32
Speaker 2: want to see you guys reallydid a few years ago.
9:35
Speaker 3: You know.
9:36
Speaker 2: So, so here's a question for me. Maybe this is
9:37
Speaker 2: a little bit more more odd ball, but we're all
9:39
Speaker 2: land Rover enthusiasts here. You could pick one range Rover
9:44
Speaker 2: throughout the entire history of of of the of the model,
9:47
Speaker 2: what would it be for you?
9:52
Speaker 3: I'd have to flip a coin. It would even either
9:54
Speaker 3: be the first one or the last one, either the
9:58
Speaker 3: classic or the current CA. Yeah, and you know, there's
10:02
Speaker 3: there's so many ways you could you could make that decision,
10:06
Speaker 3: but I'm right on the fence.
10:08
Speaker 2: I think one of the cool things is that you
10:10
Speaker 2: can actually go by one of the first range Rovers
10:13
Speaker 2: as new through your the Classic Vehicles program, or you
10:17
Speaker 2: can go buy the old one. Sorry I mixed that
10:19
Speaker 2: one up there, but yeah, the Classic Vehicle program that
10:23
Speaker 2: you guys do is also really fascinating. I remember being.
10:26
Speaker 1: Over there, beautiful cars.
10:28
Speaker 2: I remember actually seeing the first of will are in
10:30
Speaker 2: that facility, not the first, but one of them.
10:34
Speaker 3: You were talking about the Classic SV facility in the UK.
10:38
Speaker 3: I think there, yes, which you know, I was referring
10:44
Speaker 3: to the Classic as the first range Rover, and yes,
10:49
Speaker 3: there's double ways to use classic within the context of
10:52
Speaker 3: range Rover. When we transitioned from the class what we
10:58
Speaker 3: know to be the Classic range Rovern now the first generation,
11:01
Speaker 3: to the P thirty a A, there was a period
11:05
Speaker 3: of time about I think it was a model area
11:08
Speaker 3: from Rembery correctly, where both of those the first generation
11:12
Speaker 3: and the second generation existed or coexisted in the marketplace
11:16
Speaker 3: at the same time. So clearly we needed a way
11:20
Speaker 3: to differentiate the old from the new or previeus from
11:25
Speaker 3: the new, and the original model then became known as
11:28
Speaker 3: the Classic, and that just happens to resonate well with
11:34
Speaker 3: the conversation started there on FV, which is a leg
11:38
Speaker 3: of the organization called Classics that actually has built its
11:43
Speaker 3: business around restoring many of the old products that maybe
11:48
Speaker 3: customers come across, enthusiasts come across in their life and
11:52
Speaker 3: they're interested in having it restored on a professional manufacturer
11:56
Speaker 3: led basis, so that businesses own as s the Classic
12:01
Speaker 3: and it's a really interesting place to go, as you
12:06
Speaker 3: pointed out, and full of interesting all the products which
12:12
Speaker 3: just for me capture my imagination whenever I it was fantastic.
12:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I remember walking through those
12:21
Speaker 1: halls and seeing range Rover Classics, series land Rovers, beautiful
12:28
Speaker 1: stunning Jaguars. I just remember wanting to buy every single one,
12:33
Speaker 1: every single one of absolutely every single one of them. Yeah,
12:36
Speaker 1: you're right. From nineteen ninety four to nineteen ninety six,
12:41
Speaker 1: the P thirty eight was available at the same time
12:46
Speaker 1: as the range Rover Classic, and it's certainly interesting to
12:51
Speaker 1: see that transition. It shows the passion that the consumers
12:55
Speaker 1: had for the original model and then the excitement that
12:58
Speaker 1: they had for the for the new one that was
13:00
Speaker 1: coming on the market.
13:02
Speaker 3: One of the things that we see around those transition
13:05
Speaker 3: points is there's generally an uplist in the interest in
13:09
Speaker 3: the outgoing model. I mean, I guess you see that
13:12
Speaker 3: on occasions in the industry with other products, but we
13:16
Speaker 3: see that we'd range row very clearly that you know,
13:21
Speaker 3: during the last year or so before a new product
13:26
Speaker 3: is faced in there's usually strong interest in the last
13:29
Speaker 3: one because of the I guess, the allegiance and the
13:32
Speaker 3: fact that many people get to like that particular style
13:38
Speaker 3: over the life cycle of it. And sometimes it's not
13:43
Speaker 3: clear and apparent to a lot of those customers that
13:46
Speaker 3: they will actually grow to like the mid ones, so
13:49
Speaker 3: the interest in the older one of the outgoing one
13:51
Speaker 3: is often heightened. So it's a little interesting phenomena.
13:57
Speaker 1: No, that certainly makes sense. I think about one of
14:01
Speaker 1: the range rovers that personally I appreciated the most. I
14:05
Speaker 1: owned a Mark three Range Rover, the L three twenty
14:08
Speaker 1: two for many years, and it was literally one of
14:12
Speaker 1: the finest automobiles that I've ever owned, And it was
14:16
Speaker 1: the first land rover that began to give me genuine
14:20
Speaker 1: confidence behind the reliability of the brand, and that the
14:24
Speaker 1: reliability had shifted so much since since the two thousand
14:27
Speaker 1: and one Discovery that I owned, and since the range
14:30
Speaker 1: Rover Classic that I owned, and some of the other
14:33
Speaker 1: models that maybe I struggled with a little bit more.
14:36
Speaker 1: But you could really see the evolution of the platform
14:40
Speaker 1: with the Mark three Range Rover. You can really see
14:42
Speaker 1: where the L three twenty two was, this culmination of
14:47
Speaker 1: all of that legacy with now the combination of the
14:52
Speaker 1: next level of engineering and reliability. How do you see
14:55
Speaker 1: the L three twenty two. Do you see that in
14:57
Speaker 1: the same way internally that it was really this transition,
15:00
Speaker 1: in this highly defining transition for the model.
15:04
Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, and I think we nailed it. That was
15:08
Speaker 3: probably the most significant step forward we took with range
15:12
Speaker 3: revalent time when we conceived and developed the L three
15:17
Speaker 3: twenty two, just the levels of not just capability, but
15:23
Speaker 3: the recognition that if we were to be successful in
15:29
Speaker 3: the range of a market, what we really needed to
15:31
Speaker 3: do was master the fundamentals make the vehicle perform as
15:38
Speaker 3: a luxury vehicle, because that's where we positioned it, and
15:42
Speaker 3: also drive the levels of refinement and composure that come
15:49
Speaker 3: with a luxury vehicle, drive those forward significantly without losing
15:56
Speaker 3: that winning recipe which was always about the design, but
16:00
Speaker 3: also as important the capability side of what three twenty
16:05
Speaker 3: two was. It was a tremendously capable vehicle, but the
16:09
Speaker 3: things that moved the most for that product to the
16:12
Speaker 3: levels of luxury and refinement and you know, just the
16:15
Speaker 3: general build quality of that product very very solid and
16:19
Speaker 3: very well built.
16:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean to go from the P thirty eight,
16:23
Speaker 2: which maybe for our listeners that aren't super huge in
16:26
Speaker 2: the land rivers, that ran from I want to say
16:28
Speaker 2: ninety four to two thousand and two in the US.
16:33
Speaker 2: To go from that vehicle to go to the L
16:36
Speaker 2: three two to two, which was two two thousand and
16:39
Speaker 2: three to twenty twelve, I mean it was it was
16:42
Speaker 2: the same vehicle. You knew that it was a range rover,
16:44
Speaker 2: you knew when you drove it what you were driving,
16:47
Speaker 2: but it was drastically different. Yeah.
16:51
Speaker 1: Yeah, there were some significant changes. It went from solid
16:54
Speaker 1: axle to independent, which of course people were suspicious of
16:57
Speaker 1: in the beginning. But the independence is mentioned had so
17:00
Speaker 1: much articulation and wheel travel. I believe it was well
17:04
Speaker 1: over twelve inches of.
17:05
Speaker 2: It's always been the future and you see that on
17:08
Speaker 2: the new Defender as well. Just how far evolved that
17:13
Speaker 2: really has become. And I guess it. I guess that
17:15
Speaker 2: technology all really started with with the range Rover. I
17:17
Speaker 2: mean you always see that. I guess in the Landover
17:19
Speaker 2: product line is range Rover is up top, and then
17:23
Speaker 2: it kind of all trickles down to there and technolo's
17:25
Speaker 2: quite cool. I love I love you. I always called
17:28
Speaker 2: the Mark three range Rover. You know, we just asked
17:32
Speaker 2: Simon what his favorite his favorite range rover was. That's
17:35
Speaker 2: actually my favorite an L three two two or Mark
17:39
Speaker 2: three in Tangier's Orange they did that. I want to say,
17:42
Speaker 2: in the United States, we got eight of the G
17:44
Speaker 2: four edition range Rovers and that's always been on my
17:47
Speaker 2: bucket list to own one of those. They're such fascinating vehicles.
17:50
Speaker 2: I mean, that was the first car that we really
17:52
Speaker 2: saw that had you know, train response and had that
17:55
Speaker 2: rear lucky differentials and the little levers for the adjustable suspension.
17:59
Speaker 2: It just I mean, it was it was like being
18:02
Speaker 2: on a different planet. It was so far advanced. And
18:05
Speaker 2: now you're just seeing manufacturers, other manufacturers really start to
18:09
Speaker 2: catch up. And it's cool because that car came out
18:12
Speaker 2: two thousand and two, two thousand and two, so it
18:14
Speaker 2: was designed over twenty years ago.
18:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess it's unbelievable. And for those that are listening,
18:20
Speaker 1: just to do a quick punch list of some of
18:23
Speaker 1: the significant historical elements of the range Rover, you know.
18:27
Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy two, John Blashford Snell led a team
18:32
Speaker 1: of adventurers on their Trans America's expedition and they drove
18:36
Speaker 1: from up in the northern part of North America all
18:39
Speaker 1: the way through the dairy En Gap into South America
18:43
Speaker 1: and they took range Rovers through there and at great
18:47
Speaker 1: personal cost and effort to achieve that. That was one
18:51
Speaker 1: of the first trips through the dairy En Gap and
18:54
Speaker 1: a very notable one. And in nineteen seventy nine the
18:58
Speaker 1: range Rover competed in the Paris to Car Race. Even
19:01
Speaker 1: in the early twenty eleven twenty twelve time frame, land
19:06
Speaker 1: Rover did a Silk road expedition with their new hybrid
19:11
Speaker 1: model Range Rover. The Camel Trophy featured the range Rover
19:14
Speaker 1: as well in the late eighties, so the range Drover
19:18
Speaker 1: was not just a luxury vehicle. Land Rover at the
19:21
Speaker 1: time very much positioned it as an adventurers vehicle. And simon,
19:27
Speaker 1: are you I know that you have such passion for
19:29
Speaker 1: the brand, but are you seeing that the goals for
19:34
Speaker 1: range Rover today is also representing that goal towards the
19:39
Speaker 1: adventure the affluent adventurer, the well traveled individual.
19:44
Speaker 3: Yes, I think so. Certainly we have products in the
19:50
Speaker 3: portfolio that appeal more directly to the adventurer. Book adventure
19:55
Speaker 3: is to some degree relative to us, all right. Where
19:58
Speaker 3: we sit in our liis what we like to do,
20:02
Speaker 3: what our interests are, and what our pastimes are so
20:05
Speaker 3: I think the way we like to look at it
20:08
Speaker 3: is we provide a vehicle that will enable adventure, whatever
20:13
Speaker 3: that might mean to you. And I think that range
20:18
Speaker 3: Rover clearly has got the heritage, it's got the capability,
20:22
Speaker 3: it's got the historical elements to its past that certainly
20:27
Speaker 3: build that. You know, is it the best off road vehicle?
20:34
Speaker 3: That will probably not, but it delivers the balance and
20:38
Speaker 3: the breadth of capability and the type of environment to
20:43
Speaker 3: driving that we have found our customers love, the folks
20:48
Speaker 3: who actually buy range Roberts. So I think it comes
20:53
Speaker 3: down again to what adventure means to you, and confidence
20:58
Speaker 3: while you're driving is key, and the range Rover, just
21:02
Speaker 3: like you, always have inspie confidence to those who drive it.
21:05
Speaker 3: So whether you're bouncing over a curve or you're doing
21:08
Speaker 3: some really extreme stuff in Moab, you know, both of
21:12
Speaker 3: those things could be viewed as i'd venture.
21:16
Speaker 1: So I guess, no question, no question.
21:19
Speaker 2: I think one of my favorite things that you know
21:21
Speaker 2: you just touched on as the confidence. And I think
21:23
Speaker 2: a lot of that comes from the driving position that
21:25
Speaker 2: a range Rover has has always maintained that and I
21:28
Speaker 2: guess I'll call it the command position. I want to say,
21:31
Speaker 2: was Land River's term for it a while ago? You
21:33
Speaker 2: know you kind of I don't want to say you
21:34
Speaker 2: sit on top of a range Rover. You have very
21:36
Speaker 2: good visibility. Always in a range Rover, I find whether
21:39
Speaker 2: you are like you said in Moabb, you're in Los
21:41
Speaker 2: Angeles or New York, like, they're very easy vehicles to drive.
21:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, despite their size, they always had the very narrow,
21:48
Speaker 1: very narrow A pillars and the very narrow B pillars
21:52
Speaker 1: that gave this very open glass feel.
21:55
Speaker 2: And that clamshell hood just allows you to see exactly
21:57
Speaker 2: where the front end is. On so many modern view
22:00
Speaker 2: they had this kind of sloping hood that's really aerodynamic
22:03
Speaker 2: and works its way down and you just don't really
22:05
Speaker 2: know where the car is. And I think just the
22:08
Speaker 2: position in the form factor of the range Rover is
22:11
Speaker 2: I mean, I've always said it's the best sized car.
22:13
Speaker 2: Like you sit in a new range Rover and you're like, oh,
22:16
Speaker 2: this is this is kind of perfect, Like a Tahoe
22:18
Speaker 2: is way too big.
22:19
Speaker 1: Especially for North America. I mean there's definitely times in
22:22
Speaker 1: London I think that a range Rover might feel a
22:24
Speaker 1: little large, but it's amazing for certainly for the North
22:28
Speaker 1: American consumer, it is a right size suv. And I
22:31
Speaker 1: also I like the fact that land Rover has never
22:35
Speaker 1: overdone the window tint, They've never made it a seven passenger,
22:41
Speaker 1: They've always kept it very pure to the original design.
22:45
Speaker 1: And as this leads to another question, Simon, it appears
22:50
Speaker 1: to me and this is just an assumption that I
22:52
Speaker 1: have that the goal was always to maintain that purity
22:56
Speaker 1: of the big body range Rover and then fill out
22:58
Speaker 1: the range Rover model with the other interests of your clients. So,
23:03
Speaker 1: for example, the sport appeals to someone who wants something
23:06
Speaker 1: that's more athletic, or maybe the Evoke is something that's
23:10
Speaker 1: more affordable. Is that the goal right now is to
23:13
Speaker 1: make sure that you're able to offer a range Rover
23:15
Speaker 1: to a wider range of customers.
23:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, so I think that's probably well, that's fair and correct.
23:24
Speaker 3: I view that from the standpoint of just a business
23:28
Speaker 3: and a maturing business. As you become more successful, you
23:32
Speaker 3: have the ability to reach out to different parts of
23:34
Speaker 3: the market that you maybe weren't toperlitting in. And it's
23:38
Speaker 3: always been our ambition to grow the range of a market,
23:42
Speaker 3: to deliver products into different segments of the marketplace that
23:47
Speaker 3: are relevant to those segments. So you know, over the
23:51
Speaker 3: last eight ten years we've been very active with the
23:55
Speaker 3: range of a family and doing just that. You know,
23:59
Speaker 3: the time we had the P thirty eight or the
24:02
Speaker 3: L three two two, there was basically just a single
24:04
Speaker 3: range over in the family and it wasn't until twenty
24:08
Speaker 3: eleven when the Vogue arrived, which was completely unexpected to
24:15
Speaker 3: many people. They did not conceive of a range of
24:18
Speaker 3: a product, you know, and that sort of scale, smaller
24:22
Speaker 3: scale resonating or being successful. But it was absolutely the
24:27
Speaker 3: right recipe for you know, developing in two other areas
24:32
Speaker 3: of the marketplace, and certainly in Europe some of the
24:36
Speaker 3: cities in Europe et cetera, where space is a premium
24:40
Speaker 3: it was you know, urban chic. It has carried the
24:43
Speaker 3: range of a brand badge and it's very very appealing
24:47
Speaker 3: to customers in those markets for different reasons to the
24:51
Speaker 3: big one being appealing, you know, maybe to us here
24:55
Speaker 3: in America where we've got more wide up spaces. So
25:00
Speaker 3: the movement and development in the range Rover brand has
25:04
Speaker 3: been very considered, i think it's fair to say. And
25:09
Speaker 3: where we've grown the directions we've taken of being following
25:13
Speaker 3: you know, market research, understanding where we believe as an
25:18
Speaker 3: opportunity to expand the range, and then working rigorously to deliver, offer, design,
25:27
Speaker 3: build and deliver something that meets the range of A
25:31
Speaker 3: requirements in terms of capability and breadth of capability, but
25:35
Speaker 3: do it in a very unique design and capability led way.
25:42
Speaker 3: And following on from Vogue we had obviously the Vellar
25:52
Speaker 3: arriving in twenty eighteen. I skipped over spot as sports. Actually,
25:56
Speaker 3: I guess generation one Sport it's back to ninety four,
26:00
Speaker 3: ninety five I think is sorry, two thousand for two
26:05
Speaker 3: thousand and five gotten the decades mixed up there, But
26:10
Speaker 3: Sport really came about a time when there were certainly
26:15
Speaker 3: people within the organization who did not think there was
26:19
Speaker 3: a place for two full sized range Rovers in the portfolio.
26:23
Speaker 3: They thought one would be more successful than the other,
26:26
Speaker 3: and they just weren't the buyers around for a second
26:30
Speaker 3: range Over. And wow, I guess we've disproved that one
26:35
Speaker 3: pretty clearly right now, with the peak years for both
26:39
Speaker 3: of those products for Range Over Sport being in the
26:42
Speaker 3: twenty five thousand range in terms of volume for North
26:45
Speaker 3: America and range Rover has been touching twenty thousand.
26:48
Speaker 2: So is range over Sport the best selling vehicle? The
26:52
Speaker 2: Lander of North America offers.
26:55
Speaker 3: Yes, it is, Yeah, impressive, Yeah it sells polio.
27:02
Speaker 1: We spent some time with the range Rover Sport at
27:05
Speaker 1: Eastner when we when we were there under our own
27:09
Speaker 1: Valar of disguise during the during the Defender reveal that
27:14
Speaker 1: Matt and I were fortunate to be able to go to.
27:17
Speaker 2: But I was.
27:17
Speaker 1: I was so impressed with how capable the rangeover Sport was.
27:22
Speaker 1: And for those that are listening, obviously this audience is
27:27
Speaker 1: very much focused on overland travel and global travel, but
27:32
Speaker 1: we also recognize that many of our listeners also own
27:36
Speaker 1: daily drivers and they owned vehicles like range Rovers. In
27:40
Speaker 1: addition to the Defender that they may own, or or
27:43
Speaker 1: or a land Cruiser that they may own, they oftentimes
27:47
Speaker 1: buy vehicles like range Rovers, and when when we're talking
27:51
Speaker 1: to our audience, we often remind them that it is
27:54
Speaker 1: models like the Valar, and it's models like the evoke
27:58
Speaker 1: the success of those model. The success of the range
28:01
Speaker 1: Rover Sport is what allows for a company like land
28:04
Speaker 1: Rover to invest with some confidence in a product like
28:08
Speaker 1: the Defender. So it's very easy to say, oh, I
28:11
Speaker 1: don't like that vehicle, It's maybe not the right vehicle
28:14
Speaker 1: for you. But because land Rover does so well with
28:16
Speaker 1: these other models, it allows them to take some risk
28:20
Speaker 1: with something that has over eleven inches of ground clearance
28:23
Speaker 1: and excellent locking differentials and almost thirty three inch tall
28:28
Speaker 1: tires with the Defender. So, as an passionate enthusiast of
28:32
Speaker 1: the land Rover brand, I want to thank you Simon
28:35
Speaker 1: obviously for the fact that you guys have chosen to
28:38
Speaker 1: take some risk with Defender. Now, would you kind of
28:42
Speaker 1: reflect that that it's the overall success of the brand
28:45
Speaker 1: that's allowed you guys to take some risks with some
28:49
Speaker 1: more capable models.
28:50
Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely, And you know, Defender Defender in some ways
28:57
Speaker 3: I use that word risk. Defender in some ways was
29:04
Speaker 3: the engineers and the designers would shoot me to say this,
29:07
Speaker 3: but probably the easiest to visualize in terms of what
29:12
Speaker 3: you need it to be because of what the old
29:15
Speaker 3: one was and what it did, because there's just no
29:20
Speaker 3: way we could have got away with doing anything less
29:23
Speaker 3: than what we've done with Defender because of again, what
29:28
Speaker 3: came before it. The Defender model. It's where it all
29:33
Speaker 3: started for Landrover. It had that unique design and it
29:36
Speaker 3: also had the capability designed in leg from the get go,
29:39
Speaker 3: and it was more capable than anything almost anything around
29:43
Speaker 3: at the time in terms of you know, and also
29:48
Speaker 3: a car or you know, he didn't have SUVs back then,
29:51
Speaker 3: but in terms of the auto marketplace. So I think
29:57
Speaker 3: the interesting thing with the latest Defender is that the
30:01
Speaker 3: emphasis has really been put into making it rugged, durable,
30:08
Speaker 3: and let's say, able to absorb abuse or daily usage
30:16
Speaker 3: cycle that might maybe outside of what the way we
30:21
Speaker 3: would treat our cars on a day to day basis.
30:23
Speaker 3: So it is designed to be what we needed to
30:27
Speaker 3: be on a daily basis, but also to be able
30:31
Speaker 3: to deliver, you know, in situations that might be license death,
30:36
Speaker 3: that might be extreme, that might be in different remote
30:40
Speaker 3: parts of the world where you actually need to get
30:43
Speaker 3: back or you need to be able to do the
30:45
Speaker 3: job you went therefore, So I think that's the tough
30:50
Speaker 3: bit for Defender, actually being able to deliver that in
30:56
Speaker 3: an authentic way relevant today today's time with you know,
31:03
Speaker 3: the levels and standards of capability that has evolved, you know,
31:08
Speaker 3: over the past twenty thirty forty fifty years and be
31:13
Speaker 3: able to do that in a in a relevant way
31:16
Speaker 3: today that gives the product appeal for you and me
31:19
Speaker 3: who might not well maybe we do. I certainly don't
31:22
Speaker 3: do it every weekend, but for you and me who
31:24
Speaker 3: are using the vehicle maybe for a daily drive a
31:27
Speaker 3: look more so for those who are going to rely
31:30
Speaker 3: on it to get a job done in you know,
31:32
Speaker 3: the most difficult situations or for range of environments in
31:36
Speaker 3: the world. I think that's the biggest challenge that I
31:40
Speaker 3: hope we've achieved for Defender, and with.
31:44
Speaker 2: The Defender obviously, you know, changing a lot from the
31:48
Speaker 2: previous generation of the new generation and will will that
31:52
Speaker 2: change how the range Rover evolves as well now that
31:55
Speaker 2: there's just more options in the marketplace. I know Jerry
31:58
Speaker 2: McGovern has said that, you know, the presence of the
32:01
Speaker 2: Defender will kind of cause some changes, you know, to
32:04
Speaker 2: the Discovery product line. But I mean, and I understand
32:09
Speaker 2: it's a future product if you can't talk about it,
32:11
Speaker 2: but do you think that will kind of change the
32:12
Speaker 2: presence of it, will change Range Rover and where it's going.
32:15
Speaker 3: I think, without being specific about anything, I think there's
32:19
Speaker 3: always learning from a new product that you evolve with
32:24
Speaker 3: a certain mindset that can benefit other products in the range.
32:30
Speaker 3: I think that's just a healthy part of doing something new,
32:34
Speaker 3: fresh and different and challenging the business challenging itself. So
32:38
Speaker 3: they'll be learning from Defender that will have benefit to
32:41
Speaker 3: both range Over and Discovery. But what I would say,
32:45
Speaker 3: just to be clear, is that range Over occupies a
32:49
Speaker 3: place in the market that is very much towards the
32:53
Speaker 3: luxury end. Where it is the luxury end and the
32:57
Speaker 3: delivery or the priorities that the attribute priorities that we
33:01
Speaker 3: have for range Over are very clear and set in
33:03
Speaker 3: the wrong light. They have lots of design strength but
33:11
Speaker 3: also this capability aspect, but they've got to be able
33:15
Speaker 3: to deliver the experience that we want in a very luxury,
33:20
Speaker 3: composed and refined way. Now, those compromises for a Discovery
33:26
Speaker 3: product and a Defender may be a little different, you know,
33:30
Speaker 3: in terms of nobody would really necessarily think of Defender
33:34
Speaker 3: as been luxurious. It doesn't really need to be. That's
33:37
Speaker 3: its mission in life is to be durable, dual purpose,
33:42
Speaker 3: rugged and to be able to do all of the
33:44
Speaker 3: things that we need a Defender to do. If we
33:47
Speaker 3: wanted it to be luxurious, then it probably we have
33:50
Speaker 3: to make some compromises to it to allow it to
33:54
Speaker 3: do that or to deliver on that level. So just
33:58
Speaker 3: going full circle here, certainly elements of learning from Defender
34:02
Speaker 3: that will benefit the other products in the line. But certainly,
34:06
Speaker 3: you know, are we going to make our Range of
34:08
Speaker 3: A products like Defenders? No, I don't think so. I
34:11
Speaker 3: think you'll see a continuation of the very successful theme
34:16
Speaker 3: A Range of has carried for many years, and that
34:19
Speaker 3: will be to keep designing, delivering highly capable, exquisitely in
34:25
Speaker 3: designed exteriors and interiors, and have the Range of A
34:30
Speaker 3: deliver the type of luxury and refinement that people buying
34:35
Speaker 3: a luxury vehicle expect.
34:37
Speaker 2: And I think what's so fascinating about the new Range Rover.
34:41
Speaker 2: It hasn't really changed much, you know, it's it's almost
34:44
Speaker 2: kind of become a bit more iconic than maybe previous
34:48
Speaker 2: models have while it's still current a current vehicle. And
34:51
Speaker 2: I think that that's quite cool. I think that's kind
34:53
Speaker 2: of a testament to do the original design of the vehicle.
34:57
Speaker 2: You really can't tell much of a difference between a
35:00
Speaker 2: twenty thirteen and a new one another's been some grilled
35:02
Speaker 2: changes and light changes and obviously upgrades. But yeah, I
35:06
Speaker 2: think that that's it's really fascinating.
35:08
Speaker 3: I think if you trace the lines back of the
35:12
Speaker 3: current product of the original Classic, that have got some
35:18
Speaker 3: really good graphics that show this when we were getting
35:20
Speaker 3: ready to launch the current car, you can see the
35:24
Speaker 3: design lines have carried true from the original Classic through
35:28
Speaker 3: to the current generation. And the reason I emphasize that
35:33
Speaker 3: is is because it shows that lineage that I think
35:37
Speaker 3: you're referring to the connectedness of the models that we've delivered,
35:43
Speaker 3: but it also is very it's a very considered position
35:48
Speaker 3: that we've taken. We do periods of market research obviously
35:53
Speaker 3: through the life cycle of products, and you know, whenever
35:57
Speaker 3: we conceiving and final or conceive and finalize a design,
36:02
Speaker 3: we check back with the marketplace, and we check back
36:05
Speaker 3: with the customers that we know will be interested in
36:09
Speaker 3: the in the new coal we hope will be interested
36:11
Speaker 3: in the new car, and we look for feedback. And
36:15
Speaker 3: you know, one of the consistent lines of feedback that
36:20
Speaker 3: we receive from from our customers is you might have
36:24
Speaker 3: heard this, and I apologize if you have, but the
36:28
Speaker 3: common the common phrases. It don't change it, just make
36:32
Speaker 3: it better. So what that says to us is the
36:35
Speaker 3: underlying themes of range Rover are solid and resonate perfectly
36:40
Speaker 3: with the clientele. That by them and the customers is
36:44
Speaker 3: by them. But they want to see in the new product.
36:48
Speaker 3: They want to see how their new range Rover or
36:52
Speaker 3: the new range Rover connects with the past, and they
36:55
Speaker 3: want to see that lineage and they want to be
36:58
Speaker 3: able to express rest that, you know, maybe in the
37:03
Speaker 3: in the world that they live in. They've got the
37:05
Speaker 3: range Rover. The range Rover is consistent through its generations. Okay,
37:10
Speaker 3: it's changed, this technology added, this capability added, the scale
37:15
Speaker 3: and size may have grown a little bit, but there
37:17
Speaker 3: are consistent elements of the designs that have just stayed
37:21
Speaker 3: true and carried through the generations of range Rover that
37:25
Speaker 3: we have complete and delivered.
37:29
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, they're one of the few vehicles out
37:31
Speaker 2: there that you can almost point anybody towards any generation
37:35
Speaker 2: and they just they look like a range Rover.
37:38
Speaker 1: They're just they're distinguishable as that. And and I think
37:42
Speaker 1: that luxury itself has continued to evolve. Luxury in the
37:47
Speaker 1: nineteen eighties is very different from the luxuries of today,
37:51
Speaker 1: and more and more often we're hearing that that freedom
37:56
Speaker 1: really is the ultimate luxury, and if and freedom in
37:59
Speaker 1: mind mind is often the ability to have the time
38:03
Speaker 1: to travel, and to have the right equipment and the
38:06
Speaker 1: right vehicle, and the right the right to experience, to
38:10
Speaker 1: be able to go see the world. And that's why
38:12
Speaker 1: we see travel expanding and not currently in the moment
38:16
Speaker 1: that we're in we're recording this during the COVID crisis,
38:20
Speaker 1: but we do recognize that overall, that that freedom, that
38:24
Speaker 1: ability to travel, and I think that when you look
38:28
Speaker 1: at the luxury of range over I think part of
38:30
Speaker 1: the reason why it has had such staying power, and
38:33
Speaker 1: models that are similar to that, like the like the
38:36
Speaker 1: the g Wagon, et cetera, have had such staying power
38:39
Speaker 1: is because they do give the owner that idea that
38:42
Speaker 1: they have the freedom to explore, that they can go
38:46
Speaker 1: up and explore the mountains in Colorado, or go to
38:50
Speaker 1: that remote fly fishing location, or pull their airstream trailer
38:54
Speaker 1: with it to go camp, whatever that may be. It
38:58
Speaker 1: seems as if that luxury is being redefined as automobiles
39:03
Speaker 1: become more commoditized and as transportation in general becomes more commoditized.
39:10
Speaker 1: I think that the direction that land Rover has had
39:13
Speaker 1: from the beginning will actually allow you guys to fare
39:16
Speaker 1: well into the future. And that certainly brings up the
39:20
Speaker 1: question of as you are looking over the whole model line,
39:25
Speaker 1: things like having diesel available, which you did in recent
39:29
Speaker 1: model years, which we Matt and I both thank you
39:31
Speaker 1: very much for that. That car drove beautifully. What are
39:34
Speaker 1: some other things that you guys are thinking about that
39:37
Speaker 1: you can share that lends towards that freedom and that
39:40
Speaker 1: ability to travel as it relates to our audience as travelers.
39:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, so that's a really interesting topic. But some of
39:51
Speaker 3: the themes that you see in the marketplace today I
39:54
Speaker 3: think will be you know, where the direction of future
39:59
Speaker 3: wise will go. So you know, I'm thinking sustainability and
40:05
Speaker 3: thinking electrification and thinking enhanced driver assistance, those types of
40:14
Speaker 3: technologies it's inevitable, I think will will come. It's just
40:19
Speaker 3: a question of how quickly, and you know, in some
40:23
Speaker 3: ways how quickly the market can adjust and react. So
40:28
Speaker 3: you know that would be you know, for the next
40:31
Speaker 3: few years decade. I would see that's where probably the
40:36
Speaker 3: industry as a whole, and certainly will be looking. You know,
40:42
Speaker 3: if you take the example of some of the cities
40:45
Speaker 3: in Europe that are actually moving now towards banning gasoline
40:52
Speaker 3: and diesel engines in the city centers, they're just not
40:57
Speaker 3: going to be allowing it for in a few years. Well,
40:59
Speaker 3: you know, just imagine the implications of that in terms
41:03
Speaker 3: of automobile choice. You want to go into a city job,
41:08
Speaker 3: you know every day you can doute every day. Now
41:10
Speaker 3: you're not going to be able to do that in
41:12
Speaker 3: a traditional, traditional range. Overall, whatever suv you might drive,
41:18
Speaker 3: you're going to need to adapt to the times, and
41:21
Speaker 3: you'd be looking for vehicles that deliver your ability to
41:24
Speaker 3: live your life how you want to live it, and
41:27
Speaker 3: the vehicles that allow you to do that will be
41:31
Speaker 3: the ones that are on your shopping this So those
41:35
Speaker 3: are the general directions I would see. I think, you know,
41:39
Speaker 3: longer term developments in lightweight technology, I think it's still
41:47
Speaker 3: a long way to play out in that side of
41:51
Speaker 3: vehicle manufacturing and technology. Stripping weight out of the vehicle
41:56
Speaker 3: is key, but maintaining in the strength, rigidity, and you know,
42:02
Speaker 3: allowing it to meet all of the requirements that we've need.
42:07
Speaker 3: A Landrover or a range of a product and meat
42:11
Speaker 3: still critically important for our buyers. They want that, that's
42:15
Speaker 3: what they buy into that confidence factors. So linking all
42:19
Speaker 3: of those aspects together, material, lightweight technology, electrification and driver
42:28
Speaker 3: assistance features are I think where if you look trump
42:32
Speaker 3: ten to fifteen years ahead, I think you'll see, you know,
42:36
Speaker 3: products in the marketplace that are that are becoming or
42:42
Speaker 3: have become capable in those fields and are delivering things
42:46
Speaker 3: in a different way for consumers as as as versus today.
42:51
Speaker 2: I'm so excited for electric. You know, a few years ago,
42:56
Speaker 2: I thought electric was the devil. I thought it was
42:58
Speaker 2: I thought it was where automotive enthusiasm, enthusiasm was going
43:01
Speaker 2: to go to die. And after driving the Epace, I'm
43:06
Speaker 2: so sold on it and I'm daydreaming over here. Becuse,
43:10
Speaker 2: I'm thinking, Okay, range, drover, luxury, the power of electric motors.
43:15
Speaker 2: How you're going to be able to integrate that with
43:16
Speaker 2: autonomous technology. That's going to be so cool. I mean that,
43:19
Speaker 2: I mean that's going to be the ultimate car. I
43:23
Speaker 2: mean the ultimate vehicle in a lot of ways. To
43:25
Speaker 2: be able to charge it at home, to be able
43:27
Speaker 2: to charge it at your hotel, not have to worry
43:29
Speaker 2: about really getting gas. I think I'm just so fascinated
43:33
Speaker 2: by the concept of electrification of these classic platforms.
43:39
Speaker 1: And it seems like it lends towards it lends towards
43:42
Speaker 1: exactly what you've spoken about this whole conversation. Signment is
43:46
Speaker 1: that breadth of capability. These are new capabilities that your consumers,
43:51
Speaker 1: your customers are expecting, and you're just adding it to
43:54
Speaker 1: the repertoire of what a range rover can do. If
43:57
Speaker 1: you if you need to drive into London, no problem,
44:00
Speaker 1: you have a plug in hybrid that will run on
44:02
Speaker 1: electrification only to get you into the city center. But
44:06
Speaker 1: then you can still go out into your farm in
44:09
Speaker 1: the countryside and tow a horse trailer, or go to
44:12
Speaker 1: a fly fishing location, or go camping with your family.
44:16
Speaker 1: And I think that the expectation of the consumer continues
44:20
Speaker 1: to expand, so range Rover it seems uniquely capable of
44:24
Speaker 1: providing that breadth that you speak of.
44:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was thinking, I was thinking earlier this week
44:29
Speaker 2: how great an electric car would be during this crisis,
44:32
Speaker 2: and not having to go to a gas station and
44:34
Speaker 2: touch a dirty gas pump. You can just charge it
44:36
Speaker 2: at your house so fascinated, it's so excited for where
44:40
Speaker 2: the technology is going to take us.
44:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think the industry as a whole has some
44:46
Speaker 3: some technical challenges to work through in terms of delivering
44:50
Speaker 3: on the range aspects that people expect to what they're
44:55
Speaker 3: comfortable with. I think that's surely one of the biggest
44:58
Speaker 3: challenges for electricfication right now. So I don't think anybody
45:04
Speaker 3: has the answer at this point. Yeah, so it's interesting
45:07
Speaker 3: to see where that evolves to and how the scientists
45:10
Speaker 3: can move that forward. This pent up demand, I'm sure
45:14
Speaker 3: in the marketplace for electricide vehicles, it's just delivering on
45:18
Speaker 3: the combination of product to range and charging infrastructure that
45:23
Speaker 3: everybody will come to expect.
45:26
Speaker 2: Well, we'll definitely get there. I mean I remember paying
45:29
Speaker 2: hundreds of dollars for a one hundred and twenty eight
45:31
Speaker 2: megabyte you know flash drive, you know, ten years ago,
45:35
Speaker 2: and maybe more than ten years ago. But you know,
45:39
Speaker 2: the same thing will happens with all technology is the
45:42
Speaker 2: more it gets adopted, the faster it gets adopted, the
45:44
Speaker 2: more prices go down. So you know, the future will
45:48
Speaker 2: be really interesting for the range river product line.
45:52
Speaker 1: I think it's exciting. I think that once you plug
45:55
Speaker 1: in the concept of technology into any consumer segment, the
46:00
Speaker 1: evolution happens very very quickly. If you could see the
46:04
Speaker 1: I mean just the implementation rate of an iPhone across
46:07
Speaker 1: the consumer space was so rapid. With electric car, Yeah,
46:13
Speaker 1: we suspect it will happen in that way, and we're
46:16
Speaker 1: encouraged that land Rover identifies that as an opportunity because
46:20
Speaker 1: you'll bring with it those other attributes that we find important,
46:24
Speaker 1: like being able to get remote and being able to
46:26
Speaker 1: travel to a unique location in Iceland or wherever else
46:30
Speaker 1: you may go in the world. And you know, I
46:33
Speaker 1: think one of the questions that that I have that
46:37
Speaker 1: I shared with you before the conversation is I think
46:41
Speaker 1: it would be important for our listeners to hear a
46:44
Speaker 1: little more about what land Rover has done over the
46:48
Speaker 1: last few decades to continue to improve reliability and durability
46:54
Speaker 1: from within their platforms. I believe that our audience, our readers,
46:59
Speaker 1: our listeners, those that go to our websites, they all
47:03
Speaker 1: have an appreciation and a respect for the Landover brand
47:07
Speaker 1: and the range Rover in particular. But I think this
47:10
Speaker 1: is maybe an opportunity for you to share with them
47:13
Speaker 1: what land Rover has done to address reliability and improve
47:18
Speaker 1: upon it. If you're able to.
47:20
Speaker 3: Speak to that, yes, absolutely, And I guess I would
47:26
Speaker 3: start by saying that there is no silver bullet. The
47:31
Speaker 3: progress that's made is made on the basis of hard work,
47:38
Speaker 3: people with the right disposition and a mindset to keep
47:42
Speaker 3: pushing the envelope and improving, and it's a long term endeavor.
47:48
Speaker 3: It doesn't start and stop. It's something that as a
47:51
Speaker 3: manufacturer we are extremely focused on, right up to the
47:59
Speaker 3: top level management within the business and including our CEO
48:05
Speaker 3: in Europe. It's a prerequisite we believe to success in
48:12
Speaker 3: the marketplace that we're playing, and we're taking ongoing actions
48:18
Speaker 3: to boster the resources we put onto improving quality on
48:25
Speaker 3: an ongoing basis. So I can just talk a little
48:28
Speaker 3: bit specifically about what we do in North America and
48:33
Speaker 3: the approach we have, and it revolves around a team
48:39
Speaker 3: of people in the service and engineering side of the
48:43
Speaker 3: business who are resourced to basically do the deasitat diligence
48:48
Speaker 3: of a system in the resolution of problems on vehicles,
48:51
Speaker 3: but also understanding at a root cause level why things
48:56
Speaker 3: don't operate sometimes how our customers might expect them to.
49:01
Speaker 3: And those individuals have counterparts in all manner and facects
49:07
Speaker 3: of places in the European manufacturing plants and headquarter engineering
49:13
Speaker 3: teams who there a liaising with on a daily daily basis.
49:20
Speaker 3: You know, whatever the issue might be. So you know,
49:24
Speaker 3: at a high level, you need to create a culture
49:27
Speaker 3: and an environment where people are allowed to put that
49:31
Speaker 3: quality performance of the product's job one. You know, that
49:35
Speaker 3: needs to be a non negotiable and you need to
49:37
Speaker 3: have you need to lead your people to understand them
49:40
Speaker 3: and support that and then let them get on with
49:45
Speaker 3: the job that they're qualified to do, which is you know,
49:49
Speaker 3: the relentless task of never letting something that is unclear
49:56
Speaker 3: with the way, understanding why the problem might have occurred,
49:59
Speaker 3: what's old white field, and you know, at a detail level,
50:03
Speaker 3: carrying that back into the engineering teams and plants that
50:07
Speaker 3: we work with in in Europe. So there isn't a
50:13
Speaker 3: simple answer to the question, but what I hopefully have
50:16
Speaker 3: articulated is that first of all, we take it extremely seriously.
50:22
Speaker 3: We don't believe there is any excuse for not delivering
50:27
Speaker 3: high quality vehicles and we are committed to doing that,
50:32
Speaker 3: and we use local and international resources engineers, teams plants
50:39
Speaker 3: to actually work relentlessly at eliminating problems, and you know,
50:47
Speaker 3: are we where we need to be? No, we never
50:50
Speaker 3: where we need to be. There's always improvements can be made,
50:53
Speaker 3: no matter what it is you're looking at, no matter
50:56
Speaker 3: what problem you're you're scoping, there's always a way to
51:00
Speaker 3: make it better. And the mindset that we have is
51:05
Speaker 3: to consider that first and foremost, to keep pushing the
51:09
Speaker 3: boundaries back in and trying to make the products that
51:12
Speaker 3: we build as good as we can make them.
51:16
Speaker 1: So I mean, thank you so much for speaking to that.
51:18
Speaker 1: And I can speak from my own personal experience for
51:21
Speaker 1: the audience to hear is I've owned probably ten land
51:28
Speaker 1: Rovers by now currently have a nineteen eighty six Defender
51:32
Speaker 1: one ten with a diesel that it starts every time,
51:35
Speaker 1: and it runs great. It does leave its marks here
51:38
Speaker 1: and there, but my earlier land Rovers required a lot
51:41
Speaker 1: more attention, and by the time I bought the Mark
51:45
Speaker 1: three Range Rover, I drove that vehicle for nearly one
51:48
Speaker 1: hundred thousand miles with the most minimal of issues. And
51:53
Speaker 1: then I had a twenty twelve l R four that
51:57
Speaker 1: I had zero warranty claims on, and I had a
52:00
Speaker 1: twenty fifteen range Rover that I had zero warranty claims on.
52:04
Speaker 1: So my own experience and evolution in the reliability of
52:08
Speaker 1: the product line. Now, of course, I'm not saying that
52:12
Speaker 1: anyone who buys a new vehicle is going to have
52:14
Speaker 1: zero issues. I'm just simply expressing my experience, which was
52:18
Speaker 1: a very noticeable and continuous improvement in the reliability of
52:22
Speaker 1: the platform, which is I think very difficult to do
52:25
Speaker 1: because the cars are getting more complex than they ever
52:28
Speaker 1: were before.
52:28
Speaker 2: You know, I've always thought that land Rivers were a
52:31
Speaker 2: lot more reliable than people gave them credit for. I
52:33
Speaker 2: think that you had and the enthusiast side a lot
52:36
Speaker 2: of second, third, fourth owners that were buying vehicles that
52:39
Speaker 2: you know, maybe weren't properly maintained. And you know, going
52:43
Speaker 2: back in time, going back to the nineties, going back
52:45
Speaker 2: to early two thousands, where you know, imported cars were
52:49
Speaker 2: I mean, they were obviously here and they were large,
52:51
Speaker 2: but maybe we were used to more chevies and more
52:54
Speaker 2: forwards that were just different to work on. And Landriver
52:57
Speaker 2: has always been a pioneer of technology. They have always
53:01
Speaker 2: been the one pushing you know, pushing the evolution of
53:04
Speaker 2: the four wheel drive. So yeah, like the you know,
53:07
Speaker 2: the air suspension of the range of a Classic wasn't
53:09
Speaker 2: that great because it was like the first air It
53:11
Speaker 2: was the first one in a car, you know, like
53:14
Speaker 2: you know, any of the issues you know they've I don't,
53:17
Speaker 2: I don't. I don't want to say that I don't
53:18
Speaker 2: give them too much credit, but I've always thought that
53:22
Speaker 2: they were you know, they just had a more a
53:25
Speaker 2: bad rap, let's say. Yeah.
53:26
Speaker 1: And I think that it's important to acknowledge it because
53:29
Speaker 1: it's something that people look at as a part of
53:33
Speaker 1: their decision set with looking at a land Rover. And
53:35
Speaker 1: that's why, Simon, I appreciate you speaking to it and
53:39
Speaker 1: also my own experience with seeing it improve so so greatly.
53:43
Speaker 1: And then to see things like a diesel motor being
53:46
Speaker 1: available for a short period of time in the in
53:48
Speaker 1: the lineup was something that brought a big smile to
53:51
Speaker 1: my face. And then of course Matt and I being
53:54
Speaker 1: able to spend time in the Defender recently in Namibia
53:58
Speaker 1: that brought a lot of smiles to my face. So
54:01
Speaker 1: Matt and I both have tremendous love for the brand
54:04
Speaker 1: that you are stewarding Simon, and we're grateful that the
54:09
Speaker 1: newest Defender it isn't a city vehicle. This is a
54:13
Speaker 1: vehicle that is designed to go very challenging and very
54:17
Speaker 1: remote areas in the world. And that is an exciting
54:20
Speaker 1: thing to see. It's exciting to see the whole land
54:23
Speaker 1: Rover lineup now fill out. I remember a few years
54:27
Speaker 1: ago at the Discovery launch, your team talking about these
54:32
Speaker 1: categories of luxury and utility and capability and durability. And
54:38
Speaker 1: to now see all of those pillars of your organization
54:42
Speaker 1: reflected in products that are available today is very exciting
54:47
Speaker 1: and we're grateful to see that breadth of lineup as well.
54:51
Speaker 3: Yeah. I like to say that family is complete now
54:54
Speaker 3: with Defender. We've been talking about a fragmented family for
54:58
Speaker 3: a couple of years, right, it is complete.
55:01
Speaker 2: It's just I'm so excited. I mean, for the first
55:03
Speaker 2: time in my adult life, I will actually be able
55:05
Speaker 2: to walk in as an adult and see a Defender
55:07
Speaker 2: on the showroom floor at land Rover, and I think
55:09
Speaker 2: that that's a fantastic thing.
55:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's very that's very exciting. I still remember in
55:13
Speaker 1: the early nineties going into a land Rover dealership and
55:17
Speaker 1: seeing a Defender ninety on display in the showroom and
55:21
Speaker 1: being completely wide eyed. I mean, here's this was the
55:24
Speaker 1: camel try this was it right there and available to purchase.
55:28
Speaker 1: So these are very exciting times for land Rover. I
55:31
Speaker 1: know that all of you are very excited for this
55:33
Speaker 1: next chapter and it and it kind of leads me
55:36
Speaker 1: to my final question, and Matt may have something to
55:40
Speaker 1: follow up with, but we want to be sensitive to
55:42
Speaker 1: your time. I know that we've all we've all been
55:45
Speaker 1: kept inside and we've all not been able to go
55:47
Speaker 1: experience the world in the ways that we want to.
55:50
Speaker 1: If you could, if you could leave tomorrow in any
55:52
Speaker 1: of the new land Rover products, what vehicle would it be?
55:56
Speaker 1: And where would you want to go? If you had
55:58
Speaker 1: an unlimited amount of time you and your family could
56:00
Speaker 1: go explore somewhere in the world, Simon, where would you
56:03
Speaker 1: want to go?
56:05
Speaker 3: Wow? I think I'd like to go to the Medea
56:07
Speaker 3: where you you guys? Yeah, sounds like an awesome trip.
56:15
Speaker 4: It was amazing And I saw a lot of the
56:18
Speaker 4: images and videos that came out following that, and I
56:23
Speaker 4: just thought the combination of terrain, environment, animals, the climate
56:30
Speaker 4: were just really really interesting overall, and I'm sure you
56:37
Speaker 4: got the experience defender and it's it's true habitat there
56:42
Speaker 4: or the habitat it excel in. So that would be
56:45
Speaker 4: what I think would choose. I'd like to choose to
56:48
Speaker 4: do that if if I had that chance, well.
56:52
Speaker 1: It would be great if your version of social distancing
56:54
Speaker 1: right now was in the middle of the Namib Desert.
56:57
Speaker 1: We can all we can all dream of that at
56:59
Speaker 1: the moment. Matt, do you have any more questions for Simon?
57:02
Speaker 2: You know, I think I'm good.
57:04
Speaker 1: Simon, thank you so much for your time. You were
57:07
Speaker 1: very gracious with it today. I know you're very busy
57:09
Speaker 1: and this is a very challenging time for organizations around
57:13
Speaker 1: the world, including automotive, and I can see that there
57:16
Speaker 1: is such a bright future for land Rover because of
57:19
Speaker 1: so much of the emphasis on the heritage and the
57:22
Speaker 1: legacy of the brand. As Overlanders, we are excited about
57:27
Speaker 1: the products that you're bringing to market, and I want
57:31
Speaker 1: to thank you again for being with us today.
57:33
Speaker 3: It was an absolute pleasure to be here with you,
57:36
Speaker 3: and I appreciate all of the questions you asked and
57:40
Speaker 3: the opportunity to answer those as as fully as I could.
57:43
Speaker 3: So great, thank you.
57:46
Speaker 1: You're very welcome, Simon, and we're going to have some
57:48
Speaker 1: additional information in the show notes, including some of the
57:51
Speaker 1: historical references that we made throughout the podcast. And Matt
57:56
Speaker 1: and I want to thank you all for listening today