In an exclusive interview...

In an exclusive interview with Auto Express, Land Rover managing director Matthew Taylor said: "There"s nothing firm on the drawing board, but one of the things I would like to see from the company is a smaller machine, targeted at the growing sector of compact SUVs in the sub-Freelander market.

"It would be an obvious move, as Land Rover has a rich and established 4x4 heritage that would make any such car instantly identifiable in that market."

Sources suggest that a new baby Landie could well be a development of the Land Raver, which we unveiled in issue 793. The funky alloy and plastic computer-generated concept has been designed to include detachable body panels, a sliding hatch in the rear bumper in which to stow the spare wheel and a built-in head-up information display, with a special device that can be angled to see over the brow of hills. Such developments are already being looked at for production purposes by engineers at the manufacturer"s Solihull base. It is also believed that the Land Raver name could be used for an eventual production vehicle.

"If it went ahead, Land Rover"s upmarket image and quality would make such a car very attractive to customers," added Taylor. "Plans for a smaller SUV will not be advanced until the current range of new models is established.

"However, there are sketches in existence, and continuous development of the brand is something we"re very serious about." If the project is given the green light, then the chances are that the new model would initially appear as a concept, in the same vein as the Range Stormer, which was Land Rover"s first show model, unveiled at the Detroit expo back in January.

"The Range Stormer points the way to a production car due very soon, and the show machine was conceived to prepare people for that model," said Taylor. "It was Land Rover"s first concept and was very successful, so we"ll probably follow that route again in future."