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Land Rover to add variants to Freelander 2

Land Rover is set to add other variants to the five-door monocoque structure it has designed for Freelander 2, the car that replaces its smallest sport utility model at the end of the year.

But the company is unlikely to return to offering a three-door version of its compact SUV in future, according to Land Rover UK managing director John Edwards.

“We are working hard to reduce manufacturing overheads and the three-door version of the outgoing model always cost us more to build than the five-door version. We think the time has come to leave the three-door SUV sector,” he said.

“Like other manufacturers, we are constantly monitoring market trends and coming up with variations that have commercial possibilities. Our new manufacturing facility for the Freelander allows us greater flexibility to keep pace with changes in demand and this new platform is capable of other applications,” he said.

Despite a significant price increase over the outgoing model – Europe’s top-selling 4x4 for five years after it was introduced in 1997 – annual production volume is likely to remain at 60,000 units as the revitalised Ford Premier Automotive Group brand seeks further business in Asia and South African markets.

“Land Rover has been transformed by four new vehicles in four years and we achieved record global sales during April and May,” said company chief Phil Popham.