Range Rover Evoque Cabrio Could Be Ready in 2015

It was in March 2012, that Land Rover showed it too could chop the roof off an SUV, just like Nissan did with the Murano. The Evoque Cabrio Concept was shown at the Geneva Motor Show, but unfortunately we haven't heard very much about it since.

Land Rover and Jaguar officials have always been keen to discuss their future projects in order to build up hype. But even they couldn't give us a fixed production debut date for this weird but interesting car.

Now, British magazine Autocar sheds further light on the subject with a report that suggests the Evoque Cabrio could be ready as early as next year. Prototypes have never been seen at the famous Nurburgring test center, but a glimpse of one car undergoing testing in Britain has been caught. Given the state of its development, production could start by late 2015.

Chop chop!

Of course, there are a few changes that need to be made to help the Evoque transition from 2-door coupe to convertible. Just like any other car, new strengthening braces need to be added to the underbody in order to compensate for the lost rigidity of the roof. The windshield pillars also need to be made stronger so they can better cope with impact in the unlikely event of a crash.

But perhaps the biggest change Land Rover needs to make is under that sculpted clamshell bonnet. The current 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engines are going to be replaced by new 2-liter units from the new Ingenium family that motivates the XE sedan from Jaguar. The outputs should be about the same, but the current base model could make the jump from 150 hp to 163 hp without any loss in efficiency.

Of course, listening to a diesel while cruising with the top down isn't for everybody, so Land Rover are likely to continue offering a 2-liter turbo gas burner with a hot hatch like output of 240 hp.

Competition?

Since Nissan has killed the Murano CrossCabrio, the drop-top version of the Evoque could have the market all to itself. The only premium convertible SUV in the world bring plenty of curb appeal to all those choosing this over a Porsche Macan or BMW X4.

Frankly, it sounds like a crazy idea, but it could be the next black swan moment of the auto industry. Even its harshest critics should admit that the model looks spectacular, with its red leather cabin in full view like that. After this, we could all be asking ourselves "how did we ever come without convertible versions of our SUVs?"

Range Rover Evoque Cabrio - photo gallery