Good idea? Range Rover Evoque Cabriolet [w/ sales prediction poll]

Krzysztof Wozniak
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Range Rover Evoque CabrioletAfter what seems like years of teasers and spyshots Range Rover finally showed off pictures of the new Evoque Cabriolet. And while normally time helps us get used to the idea of “out there” ideas, I am still not sure what to think of this car.

Nissan Murano CrossCab
Nissan Murano CrossCab

I am naturally skeptical towards ideas like this – an SUV cabriolet seems like an answer to a question no one asked, like an MPV coupe (Renault Avantime) or SUV minivan (Mercedes-Benz R-class). The precedent is not good – there already was an SUV cabriolet before, the Nissan Murano CrossCab, and it bombed badly, with average annual sales in the US below 2,000 units. And while the regular Evoque is a looker, chopping off the roof makes it look it a little bit like a tall bathtub in which the driver is relaxing after a long day…

On the other hand, if there is a model that is likely to succeed in this niche it is the Evoque – still arguably the coolest SUV on sale – and the Evoque Cabriolet could be a trendsetter just like e.g. the Audi TT.

But, what do you think? Let us know in the comments and take a stab at guessing how well it will do:

How well will the Range Rover Evoque Cabriolet do?

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Krzysztof Wozniak
Kriss grew up in Poland reading German car magazines, before moving to England and graduating to the British magazines, which he still considers the best in the world and continues reading them after he'd moved to the US. In college he promised himself he's buy himself a used Porsche before he turned 30 (not to be accused of having a mid-life crisis), but instead family needs dictated a Subaru Outback. Still waiting for that perfect moment to buy a used 2008-ish Cayman... You can find all his articles Here.
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9 Comments

  1. A sales smash just like the standard car worldwide….just watch the order books ..its a no brainer…

    Reply

  2. Like you, I’m split between ” it could do well ” and ” who would buy this? ”

    Sure, it’s infinitely better looking than the Murano, and the Evoque still has the cool factor behind it, but… the idea of a convertible SUV sounds infinitely stupid to me. Not to mention that convertible sales are going down. But SUV sales are going through the roof. ARGH!

    I hope they do well, but i’m really unsure about this one.

    Reply

  3. We need more cars like this on the road. Land Rover shows the world they can be different. One of few SUV brands will sell an SUV convertible, isn’t that great? Love it!

    By the way, in what way was the TT a trendsetter? Audi just followed BMW (Z3) and later on Mercedes (SLK) like they always do.

    Reply

  4. Hi Tuga,
    you’re right that convertible sales are down, but sales of premium-brand convertibles are actually quite stable, so Land Rover might be on to something.
    Still, I’ve wondered about the Evoque convertible before as well, and my conclusion was that it would take about 4% of total Evoque sales, or 2.000 a year.

    Reply

  5. @Losange – I meant the original TT became the trendiest car of its type, and attracted many more buyers than expected. This could happen for the Evoque Cabriolet, but personally I think that’s unlikely.

    Also, I wonder if this car is not really meant more for markets such as the middle east, where SUVs often go and frolic on sand dunes – the Evoque Cabriolet would be the ideal car for that!

    Reply

  6. I choose ‘500 – 1000 p/m’ in Europe / UK
    But the EvCa real opportunity lies i/t US (Cali. / Florida) and the UAE,
    So 15k annual sales should be fairly simple to obtain.

    Bear in mind, although a SUV, the Evoque isn’t that large.
    So the ‘cabriofication’ doesn’t look odd. Quite the contrary…..

    Reply

  7. The UAE?
    I didn’t think they even sell convertibles there at all….. Considering it’s above 40 Celsius 10 months a year and people hardly come outside as they go from one airconditioned building to the next.

    I’ll keep you up to date, going to Abu Dhabi next week and will let you know if I see any convertibles. If there are, they should be on the streets now, as it’s only 30 Celsius now (-:

    Reply

    1. Point taken, but…

      … given the amount of spoiled brats with nothing to do other than to play with a hot sizzling creditcard picture the parkinglots & beaches around the opulent beach resorts on a breezy warm afternoon.

      Scorching heat at day time will not discourage folks who collect cars because they have nothing else to do.

      Reply
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