New Range Rover debut within a year
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• Plans for the launch of the smaller Range Rover are well under way at Land Rover, and a launch is planned for late this year or early in 1990.
Commercial Motor also understands that Land Rover has made plans for a replacement Range Rover, and two firms have already been retained to undertake the first analytical work and modelling for the new models.
E Talks are currently being held between North America's Customs authorities and Land Rover to sort out whether the company's Range Rover exports should attract a tax of 2.5% as passenger cars, or 25% as light commercial vehicles.
The pressure is on the US Treasury to reclassify imported "sports utility vehicles and mini vans" as commercial vehicles, which are taxed at 25%. Sales in this sector have been growing rapidly, and account for about 10% of the US domestic market.
American producers are lobbying for the reclassification: the Europeans and the Japanese are happy with the status quo.