Believe it or not, Land Rover has decided that an Evoque convertible is a thing worthy of reality, even after three full years of hindsight. At the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, Great Britain's luxury SUV marque announced that the Range Rover Evoque Convertible is heading to the streets. Though it didn't have an updated concept car to show on its stand, it did release a rather interesting video of the Evoque Convertible prototype navigating subterranean tunnels.
While Nissan was able to enter and exit the awkward crossover-convertible market before Land Rover made an official play, Land Rover grabs the claim of world's first premium crossover convertible. Land Rover originally showed its Range Rover Evoque Convertible concept car at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, about a year and a half after Nissan disrobed the Murano CrossCabriolet. The world had all but forgotten about the convertible Evoque by the time the 2015 Geneva show rolled around, but that didn't dissuade Land Rover from announcing its production plans. The Evoque Convertible will be manufactured next to the Evoque five-door and coupe models at Land Rover's Halewood plant in the UK, rolling onto the market in 2016.
To add a bit of intrigue to the announcement that a highly questionable, three-year-old concept car is approaching production, Land Rover released a rather cool video, which you can see below. The first Evoque Convertible prototype put a fun spin on the idea of "all terrain" driving, becoming the first vehicle to navigate the new Crossrail tunnels running through the earth 131 ft (40 m) below London. Land Rover was granted exclusive access to the 26-mile (42 km) tunnel system, which is still under construction. The stunt was a continuation of the theme originated when the five-door Evoque drove through the Edge Hill Tunnel in Liverpool as part of its debut in 2011.
Land Rover will reveal more details about the Evoque Convertible later this year. In the meantime, watch the camouflaged prototype work its way through the London underground.
Source: Land Rover