Land Rover Discovery Kalahari Series

NEW YORK – The world premiere of Land Rover’s new “Kalahari” vehicle series will take place today at the New York International Automobile Show. The 2002 Land Rover Discovery Series II Kalahari, which goes on sale in October of this year, is the first in a series of special Kalahari Land Rovers that will feature heavy-duty, off-road components and a rugged, extreme look. Inspired by a Land Rover Adventure called “The Great Kalahari” – perhaps the most extreme of 20 ongoing Land Rover Adventures programs that are held throughout the world for Land Rover owners – all Kalahari series vehicles will be produced in limited numbers by Land Rover Special Vehicles, the company’s in-house producer of built-to-order vehicles.

“The Kalahari name, and all the images it brings to mind, is a perfect fit for Land Rover,” said Howard Mosher, president and CEO of Land Rover North America, Inc. “In fact, Land Rover will produce an entire series of vehicles to wear the newly created ‘Kalahari’ badge. The name will eventually be used for special editions from all Land Rover model lines sold in North America.”

The first vehicle in the Kalahari series will be the 2002 Discovery Series II Kalahari, the descendant of a true competition vehicle – the Discovery Series II TReK – which was built for use in Land Rover TReK ’00, an off-road driving challenge for Land Rover retailers that took place last November.

The production-ready Discovery Kalahari features a dramatic Borrego Yellow paint scheme and an array of specialized off-road equipment including a Saudi/Gulf states front bumper and grille; black seating surfaces with Tetra technical fabric center panels; a black steel wraparound brush bar and lamp guards; a black steel rear ladder; and a matching roof rack finished in black steel and equipped with a steel mesh floor.

Discovery Kalahari comes with a 188-horsepower, 4.0-litre aluminum V8 engine, a four-speed automatic transmission, permanent four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case, Hill Descent Control (HDC), four-wheel electronic traction control (4ETC) and a four-channel, all-terrain Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). Land Rover’s Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE) and Self-Leveling Suspension (SLS) systems are optional. A special-appearance package and a badge stamped with the vehicle’s limited-production build number complete the Kalahari specification.

Only 150 Discovery Series II Kalahari vehicles will be produced for the 2002 model year. They will go on sale in the U.S. in Oct. 2001 with an estimated base MSRP of approximately $40,000.

EXTERIOR

• Discovery Series II Kalahari-exclusive Borrego Yellow paint scheme.
• Borrego Yellow-painted headlamp finishers and grille surround.
• Black Saudi/Gulf-specification front bumper and grille.
• Black steel roof rack with steel mesh floor.
• Black steel wraparound brush bar, lamp guards and rear ladder.
• 16-inch “Typhoon”-style alloy wheels with black painted spokes and polished outer rims. 255/65R16 H-speed rated tires.
• Kalahari badge featuring each vehicle’s limited-production build number.
• Full Kalahari appearance package and unique vehicle badging.
• Front and rear fog lamps.
• Integral Class III trailer tow hitch receiver.
• Optional equipment: Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE), Self-Leveling Rear Suspension (SLS) and Cold Climate Package (includes heated front windshield and heated front seats).

INTERIOR

• Smokestone Gray instrument panel and interior panels.
• Black Duragrain seating surfaces with “Tetra” technical fabric and Ash Gray outer panels.
• “Brunel” silver trim on passenger-side fascia.
• Alcantara material and “Brunel” silver trim on door panels.
• Leather-covered cubby box lid and door grab handles.
• 12-speaker, 220-watt premium audio system with steering wheel-mounted controls. AM/FM/cassette stereo tuner with auto-seeking weather band and Radio Data System (RDS). Six-disc CD auto-changer.
• Dual tilt-and-slide power sunroofs.
• HomeLink® system. (HomeLink is a registered trademark of Johnson Controls).