What's in a Name?

IMAGE: KOLESA.RU

Or, when is a GT not a GT?

Mercedes-AMG GT? Check.

Toyota GR GT? Check.

Range Rover GT? Er... come again?

Since new spy photos of Range Rover's first entry off the new (and now, again, multi-energy) EMA platform surfaced a few weeks back, more information has been leaking out--including the notion that this vehicle might not carry the Velar name as originally believed. That hypothesis has now been confirmed, with JLR announcing the new entry will be called... GT. Not Velar GT, or Nonesuch GT, but plain old GT. Per the company, "The Range Rover GT will redefine the grand‑touring segment with the ability to deliver beautiful and engaging GT poise, proportions and long‑distance refinement while offering capabilities no conventional GT can match."

IMAGE: KOLESA.RU

I'll admit to being old-school, and I'll confess that the term 'GT', to me, carries with it the connotation of something long and sleek (and perhaps a bit sexy). It appears the new Range Rover GT is long and sleek--as long as you're comparing it to an SUV (so, yes, the bar is rather low in terms of 'sleek' and 'sexy'). But it raises the bigger portfolio question of why this vehicle isn't a Jaguar (which is rumored to be adding an SUV to the portfolio along the upcoming Type 01 four-door coupe), leaving Range Rover with the equally luxurious but more formal and upright SUVs. So, color me skeptical as to whether JLR can pull this off.

I'm also of mixed opinions regarding the interior. It's handsome, but in a Scandinavian, minimalist, everything-on-a-touchscreen sort of way--exactly what many other automakers are moving away from. They avoided a display for passengers, unlike BMW and Mercedes and Porsche, but are left with a handsome but generic interior that wouldn't look out place on any of the half-dozen new premium Chinese SUVs hitting the market. And leaving audio and climate controls on the touchscreen seems to put them... er... out of touch as well.

IMAGE: JLR

Of course, one thing this allows JLR to do is to continue to build the current Velar (which, admittedly, still looks reasonably handsome after nine years). But nine years without any sort of facelift is rather long, even in the luxury segment, and I'm not sure how long the Velar can last in the face of newer and more sophisticated competitors. One hopes the product planners, engineers, and designers are working on alternatives behind the scenes. Fortunately, the EMA platform and its accompanying EV hardware appear to be rather competitive, so that's a step in the right direction, assuming the peculiar branding decision and generic touchscreen-heavy interior don't bog things too much. I look forward to the full reveal.