Land Rover Evoque camo world tour

The official unveiling of the all-new Range Rover Evoque at Kensington Palace in London earlier this month not only signaled a new compact and luxurious model but has also seen the premium brand embrace a unique approach to unveiling its newest family member.

The 40th anniversary of Range Rover and the launch of the new Evoque was broadcast live on the Land Rover Facebook page, while the video was streamed to a further 110 big-name automotive and lifestyle websites across the world.

Combined global viewers exceeded 700,000 when measured the morning after the launch, and tens of thousands more watched on-demand, taking the number of launch party viewers worldwide close to 2 million. Meanwhile, Land Rover’s official YouTube channel was the most viewed channel in the UK on July 2nd.

The incredible online audience witnessed British TV presenter George Lamb, Land Rover Managing Director Phil Popham, Victoria Beckham and Land Rover Design Director Gerry McGovern unveil the new Range Rover Evoque, which will be the most compact and efficient car the company has ever produced when it goes on sale next year.

“It’s vital that we reach the right audience online, and this was a breakthrough way to reveal a breakthrough car,” said Phil Popham, Land Rover Managing Director.

Range Rover’s unique approach will continue on-the-ground with the dispatch of hundreds of ‘undercover’ prototype models around the globe for trial in the toughest climates and conditions.

Land Rover is making no secret of the operation – its design team has fitted ten prototypes with funky camouflage wraps, meant to introduce the new car in ten key cities worldwide.

These unmissable vehicles represent London, New York, Sau Paulo, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Berlin, Sydney, Shanghai and Moscow and will all be spotted testing around the globe. They are just a small proportion of the hundreds of pre-production cars that will be rigorously evaluated over millions of miles to ensure the new Range Rover Evoque surpasses the highest standards of quality and reliability when it goes on sale in summer 2011.

Alongside the 3,500 Land Rover engineers testing the new model, Land Rover is working with 120 unique component suppliers and carrying out in excess of 17,000 individual tests to examine every separate part and system.

Usually prototypes are disguised for discretion, but these ten are supposed to be seen. The funky camouflage imagery is actually a GPS mapping trail of ten key cities for Evoque, with each vehicle saying ‘Hello’ to its city. It signals the eagerly awaited global launch of the new Evoque.

“The development stage is crucial in the year leading up to launching the car.” said Murray Dietsch, Director of Land Rover programmes. “No stone is left unturned, we have a team of experienced and skilled engineers who will work to a tight schedule to ensure we have a top quality vehicle to offer our consumers.”

The new Range Evoque is the smallest, lightest and most efficient model the company has ever offered, and will be sold in 160 markets around the world.