The Next Range Rover - A Jaguar XJ In Disguise?

Turning a Jaguar XJ Sedan platform into a Range Rover turns out to be a pretty smart idea after all...

Carl-Peter Forster, the new boss over at Jaguar Land Rover, is moving ahead with a somewhat radical new idea: cutting the combined vehicle platform line-up from six platforms down to just two. Cost-cutting, you see. But cramming a Range Rover onto a Jaguar XJ Sedan platform? Aren't there limits to these things? Apparently, no.

As it turns out, the next generation Range Rover will share the 2010 Jag's spaceframe and it won't even require a lot of modification. The floor and front crash structures can be left the same. Of the major alterations, only the bulkheads will need to be raised to accomodate the SUV's raised height. Platform number two will be a modified version of the older Ford C1 steel platform, which will find its way into the next generation LR2, which is rumored to be capable of carrying 7 passengers for the first time.

So you see? Making cars is a lot like making friends in the sandbox. Sharing is the key.