New Land Rover LR2's Celeb Unveiling

Tennis star Maria Sharapova was on hand yesterday to unveil the all-new Land Rover LR2 to the press. London was the setting for the announcement, as Land Rover is still a British company, but the LR2, formerly called the Freelander, will have a major impact on the U.S. market.

Land Rover has seen a huge increase in sales over the past two years due to the success of the LR3 and Range Rover models. The Freelander actually debuted before either of those vehicles, but was not well received due to feeble power and a rough ride. The new LR2 is completely redesigned, rides on a car platform and shares parts from corporate partners like Ford, Mazda and Volvo. A new inline six-cylinder engine, increases power from 175 hp to 230 hp as well as getting a 10% rise in fuel economy. Those numbers weren’t released, but the previous engine saw 18/21 mpg city/highway.

I think the LR2 will be a huge hit, as the segment of car-based crossovers is growing and the Land Rover “look” is increasingly popular. Prices weren’t announced, but expect them to start in the low $30,000 range when the LR2 hits U.S. shores later this year. Click below for more photos.