By Jamie White – Head of Communications

The iconic Range Rover is celebrating its 45th birthday today (17th).

Reaching the important milestone is the latest in a series of 2015 highlights for one of the world’s most desirable luxury Sports utility Vehicles (SUV).

At the New York International Auto Show in March, Land Rover revealed a new Range Rover flagship in the form of the exclusive SVAutobiography, while the landmark six millionth Land Rover was a Range Rover Vogue SE, which rolled off the Solihull production line in April.

Over the last 45 years Range Rover has delivered a series of industry firsts as it has evolved. As well as introducing a host of advanced technologies, many of which have since become industry standards, the original Classic model was cited as an ‘exemplary work of industrial design’ when it became the first vehicle to be displayed at the world famous Louvre museum in Paris.

Now in its fourth generation, the Range Rover sits at the pinnacle of the Land Rover brand and matches class-leading off-road capability with a petrol, diesel and Hybrid powertrains to deliver an unrivalled blend of refinement, comfort and capability.

Nick Rogers, Jaguar Land Rover Director Global Engineering Operations, said: “Range Rover was the first luxury SUV in the world in 1970 and 45 years on it continues to lead the way. The latest model is the most desirable and sophisticated Land Rover ever, mixing peerless comfort with cutting edge technology to provide the ultimate luxury SUV experience.”

The original 1970 Range Rover combined refinement and on-road handling with uncompromised all-terrain capability for the first time, and subsequent generations have maintained its status as the most capable and desirable SUV in the world.

The current fourth generation model was launched in 2012 and was the first SUV in the world to feature a lightweight all-aluminium body, which brought enhanced efficiency to the range.

The SVAutobiography brings a new level of design sophistication to the line-up and is produced by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division. It is available with distinctive Duo-tone paintwork and a 550PS V8 petrol engine. This year also marks the 21st anniversary of the introduction of the exclusive Autobiography designation.

Douglas Stafford is delighted to be the preferred partner for Jaguar Land Rover’s mystery shopping, customer experience and performance improvement initiatives in the UK.