When Was Land Rover Founded?

This luxury British car manufacturer started as the Rover Company, which was established in 1885 producing bicycles in Warwickshire, England. After they moved into automobile production, the Land Rover came out as a model series under this company in 1948. Explore Land Rover history below, and contact Land Rover Princeton near Mount Laurel if you want to know more!

Land Rover Model Series Origins

The design for the first Land Rover model came from engineer and Rover Company Chairman Maurice Wilks in 1947. While staying on his family farm in Wales with his brother Spencer, Maurice Wilks worked on the Land Rover prototype:

• The design was inspired by Jeep models, and built on a Jeep axle and chassis.
• Land Rover colors were all in a muted green in the early years due to a surplus of military auto paint after World War II.
• The Land Rover model made its debut on April 30, 1948 at the Amsterdam Motor Show.

Land Rover Company Timeline

• 1967: Rover Company becomes Rover Triumph, as part of Leyland Motors (later British Leyland Motors).
• 1970: The Land Rover Range Rovermodel is introduced.
• 1976: Land Rover produces its millionth Land Rover a little before its 30th anniversary.
• 1978: Land Rover Limited becomes its own company under British Leyland Motors.
• 1987: The Range Rover is first released in the United States.
• 1989: the Land Rover Discoveryis introduced.
• 1994: The Rover Group is acquired by BMW.
• 2000: The Rover Group is broken up by BMW and Land Rover is sold to Ford
• 2005: The Range Rover Sport comes on to the scene.
• 2007: The four millionth Land Rover is produced.
• 2008: Indian-based Tata Motors acquires Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford, creating the Jaguar Land Rover subsidiary.
• 2011: The Range Rover Evoque is first released.
• 2014: The Land Rover Discovery Sport replaced the Land Rover Freelander in 2014.
• 2017: Land Rover introduces the Range Rover Velar in London.
• 2018: Land Rover announces the project Cortex which aims to “create self-propelled cars-robots that are able to independently navigate off-road in all weather conditions.”
• 2018: Land Rover announces they will bring back the Land Rover Defender in 2020.

Explore the Land Rover Brand at Land Rover Princeton

The Land Rover brand honors its legacy while staying ahead of the automotive market with InControl® technology, safety features like Land Rover Adaptive Cruise Control, and dominating off-roading prowess. When you are ready to take home one of our Land Rover models for sale near Hopewell, visit your local authorized Land Rover retailer!