Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed a convertible version of the new Evoque sports utility vehicle will go on sale in 2016.
The Range Rover Evoque Convertible was announced alongside the release of a video and photos of the prototype car being tested in the 26-mile Crossrail tunnel, which is currently being built underneath the capital city of London.
The 6.2-metre diameter tunnel was chosen to test the Evoque Convertible because of its unique off-roading challenges hidden away from prying eyes. No doubt the sheer level of publicity such a stunt would generate played a significant role.
The Halewood plant in the UK will manufacture the Evoque Convertible, where the five-door and coupe models are currently built. More details of the vehicle will be released later this year, Land Rover said.
We expect the convertible to cost more than the current Evoque price, which starts from £29,025. The new Evoque’s frugal Ingenium diesel engine, first seen in the Jaguar XE, is likely to feature.
This is actually the second time Land Rover has used a tunnel to promote a new vehicle. Back in 2011 the five-door Evoque was driven through Edge Hill Tunnel in Liverpool.
The Crossrail tunnel is Europe’s largest construction project, with 62 million working hours already put into its creation. The route will run through 40 stations between Reading and Heathrow in the west, central London and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. First services are expected to begin in 2018.
The Crossrail tunnel is fascinating in itself so you should definitely take a few minutes to browse through the photographs and watch the video.
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