Updated Range Rover expected at New York Auto Show 09

Sales of SUVs have dropped by more than 50 percent worldwide, but that has not stopped Land Rovers top-level Range Rover from selling in great numbers. The SUV has been helping to keep the British/Indian automaker afloat.

The Range Rover has a starting price of $78,525, and sales have only fallen by 17 percent in the first two months of 2009. The smaller LR3 and LR2 are down most, 28 percent and 57 percent respectively. With those figures, the smaller models are dragging the company’s overall sales figures down 36.6 percent.

AutoBlog are reporting that an updated Range Rover will be on show at the New York Auto Show next week. There will not be much change to the exterior to the model when it was launched back in 2002, but there will be changes to the engine. It is thought that the new powerplant will be the Jaguar’s 5.0-liter all-aluminum V8 engine.

It is nice to see Land Rover at the New York Auto Show, as they did not make an appearance at the Detroit Auto Show.