The Range Rover is considered as the crown jewels in the brand's model range. Gerry McGovern, chief design officer of Land Rover, talked about the rationale behind this label and the new faux leather interiors of the 2018 Range Rover Velar.
Elegance, sophistication, and formality are among the factors that raised the Range Rover to hierarchy and positioning as the crown jewels. McGovern emphasized that this is also the reason why they will not produce a seven-seat variant of the model.
The design head explained to CarAdvice that they value exclusivity in each model they produce. He said the Discovery owns the seven-seat design. He also stressed that the Range Rover is linked to refinement while the Discovery is on versatility.
McGovern also shared his thoughts on the future of the Range Rover Velar. He first mentioned that the model is certainly the closest built similar to a car. He then revealed that he needed to convince their PR team to create a variant of this model with 22-inch wheels.
Furthermore, the design boss believed that the Velar would reach its optimum proportion and style if it would sport 22-inch wheels. He also mentioned that in this current age, they need to adjust to being market compliant and "think outside the box."
Meanwhile, aside from the 22-inch wheels, the design chief also convinced his team to find ways to replace the use of leather. Apparently, he could not imagine the bounty of cows that would need to die to have the necessary leather for their vehicles.
In another interview with Drive, McGovern talked about the new features of the 2018 Range Rover Velar. The automaker included the latest interior option featuring faux leather.
The new trim option features a wool mix with faux suede on the interior. Note that the interior was made by Kvdrat, a Danish textile specialist, and only used recycled plastic to make the faux suede. There is also a faux leather called "Luxtec" on the dashboard and door tops. The price ranges from $920 to a whopping $4,210.