Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept - ruggedized, practical sportscar

Six months after the model first hit showrooms, Range Rover is to show an Evoque Convertible Concept based on the Evoque Coupe at the Geneva Motor Show in March, designed to gauge the market potential for a premium convertible four-seat SUV.

Land Rover Design Director, Gerry McGovern, has already achieved the most difficult part of the new model in successfully reproducing the lines of the Evoque without its roof and now it's up to the public to decide if the potentially new category is viable.

"The Evoque lends itself beautifully to the idea of a convertible", said McGovern.

"This study is not a traditional convertible design execution - instead we have worked with the balance of the Evoque's lines to retain its distinctive shape and create something that is unique and, we believe, highly desirable."

Traditional automotive categories are of course, the constructs of the motoring industry - market segmentation is what you do to understand the battleground of every marketplace.

Automotive manufacturing is going into a renaissance as new thought and processes enable a more customized product and we'll see more and more of these oft-termed "category busters" in the future.