Range Stormer Concept Massive

DETROIT – The take-no-prisoners Range Stormer, a concept from Land Rover, is not meant to go after the Hummer – nothing in the Ford Motor Co. lineup goes after it, says Phil Martens, Ford Motor Co. group vice president-product creation.

The Range Stormer, a high-performance SUV unveiled here at the North American International Auto Show, stands on its own.

It has a supercharged V-8 engine and class-leading off-road capability with a short overhang, full-glass roof and giant 22-in. wheels.

The interior leather is from a single hide and the dash and center console flow around the occupants.

Among other unveils, the F-Series family expands with the luxury F-150 King Ranch, its first derivative. Still to come are the Harley Davidson and Lightning variants.(See related story: Harley-Davidson F-150 Precedes Next-Generation Lightning)

Making its North American debut is the Jaguar R-D6 concept, a 4-seat coupe unveiled in Frankfurt. Neither it, nor the Jaguar R coupe concept of a few years ago are slated for production, executives caution.

The Volvo S40 sedan and V50 wagon also make their first bow on this side of the ocean, in the continuing reinvention of Volvo DNA. One of its most-talked about features is the slim center console. (See related story: Volvo Unwraps V50 at Bologna Show)

The Aston Martin DB9 Volante is the convertible to the elegant DB9 2+2 coupe shown in Frankfurt, with a retractable top that comes down in 17 seconds. The hand-built Volante goes on sale in October, powered by a 6L V-12 that generates 450 hp.

Martens also says a European rally-tuned sedan is in the works, without elaborating more.

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