Just a few months after the head of Rolls-Royce told CarBuzz that “we’re not in the car business,” it turns out another company feels the same way. Of course, it’s not quite that simple, but the head of Range Rover has a surprising take on what it means to be a modern luxury automotive brand.
And the new Range Rover Electric SUV is a big stepping stone towards that new take on luxury.
‘We’re In The Modern Luxury Business’
2026 Range Rover SV Ultra interior rear seatsLand Rover
Martin Limpert has been the Managing Director of Range Rover for little more than a year. The head of the brand has been clear about where he takes inspiration for the company’s direction, making frequent references to providing experiences, not just products. He said the company is looking to the hotel industry, fine restaurants, and jewelers for inspiration on delivering those experiences.
CarBuzz asked whether, like the head of Rolls-Royce, Limpert believed Range Rover was in the luxury goods business, not simply the car business. “That’s our aspiration,” Limpert said. “To be in the modern luxury business.”
“Of course we build cars,” he said. But, he added, “especially when you take Range Rover Electric, that goes far beyond the vehicle.”
A gas or diesel Range Rover gives the brand the chance to interact with customers in showrooms and service bays. For the EV, there are opportunities to have a greater impact. Charging is the big one.
Range Rover ElectricRange Rover
“How do we support our customers to seamlessly get a charger installed at home and getting the energy services provided and payment arranged and everything without having to bother?” he said.
Part of that is an app, which will integrate all charging into one ecosystem. But Limpert also wants to create new experiences and events for customers.
“We are creating experiences and events for our customers, like Range Rover Houses, for example,” he explained. “Where we showcase modern luxury through the lens of Range Rover, and do events invite-only with our customers to convey that spirit.”
There have been five Range Rover House events so far. At those events, the company takes over a luxury home and brings in owners for dinners, talks, to experience SV Bespoke, and more.
Does Modern Luxury Mean Events Matter More Than Cars?
Range Rover Bespoke SpaceRange Rover
Becoming a luxury brand over an automaker doesn’t mean Limpert is forgetting about the in-vehicle experience, though. Obviously, one can’t have luxury without plenty of creature comforts. He describes Range Rover as “the brand for life’s leaders,” referring to the high number of politicians and businesspeople who use Range Rovers for work or personal transit.
“We are the brand for life’s leaders. That’s how we see this. But we don’t mean this in an elitist way, we mean leaders in a mindset way.”
Martin Limpert, Managing Director, Range Rover
On that front, the new electric Range Rover is 7 dB quieter at full throttle than the gas model. “It’s like [turning] a living room with a TV into a library. That’s the difference.” Then there’s the air. With Air Purification Pro, “no matter what the environmental situation in your city is, in the car it’s clean and healthy.”
Haptic seats and floor mats, even fragrances created for the brand and a stereo that uses membrane instead of speaker cones all contribute to the vehicle-focused side of the luxury equation. Add it all up, and it most definitely sounds like Range Rover is keenly focused on building more than just a car.
“Modern luxury for us means really talking to all senses for our customers, and creating that space,” Limpert said.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Range Rover ElectricRange Rover
Jaguar Land Rover hasn’t had the best times as of late. It needs the new electric Range Rover to be a success, and there’s certainly no small amount of big PR spin coming from the top brass to make that happen. Whether Limpert’s statements come across “in an elitist way” is debatable. But what’s not debatable is that Range Rover now has a 78% brand loyalty in the US and 70% in the UK. Clearly, its buyers love the brand.
But, Land Rover is still decidedly not Rolls-Royce. Is spinning the brand with a similar mindset really a smart strategy to not just keep those loyal buyer, but more importantly, attract new ones? That remains to be seen.
