SUV redefined: Range Rover unveils one-wheel-drive, single-seater

Range Rovers are evolving, and in a direction that few would have predicted. Less than a year after the luxury car maker announced plans to introduce a 2WD version of its iconic SUV, it has gone a step further by producing an emissions-free, one-wheel-drive bicycle. And whilst one might expect the maker of heavy four-wheel drive cars to have built a mountain bike, Range Rover has instead opted for a lightweight carbon fibre road bike.

Four-wheel-drive cars, or SUVs as they are sometimes called, soared in popularity for their elevated driving position, power, ostentation and a marketing promise of adventure, but most owners ended up with high fuel and road tax bills and a vehicle that is harder to park and more of a risk to pedestrians in the event of a collision than lighter vehicles. Sales of new and second-hand 4×4s have suffered over the last few years.

ETA comment: Should 4×4s be banned?

The city of Paris may soon restrict the most polluting cars from its roads, but should 4×4s be given the same treatment? 4×4 cars tend to be heavier, more of a risk to other road users in the event of a collision and more polluting than lighter cars, so “No 4×4s in towns” seems a reasonable rule. But what is a town? When does a farm become a hamlet, a hamlet a village and a village a town? What is a 4×4? 4×4 means all four wheels are powered (or can be).

There are many 4×4s now that look like ordinary saloons – they do not have an off-road look at all. So do we mean “no off-road vehicles in towns”?

What about cars like a 2WD Range Rover? It will look like an off-roader but it only has two-wheel drive. So although it can go off road, as can most cars, it can also get stuck in the mud because it has not got four powered wheels.

Remember when the Americans banned alcohol in the twenties? Not only did liquor become very strong, but gang crime rapidly spread across the country.

It is more likely that, as is the case with all fashions, the popularity of heavy SUVs will wane and the fact that Range Rover is going from four-wheel drive to two-drive and even one-wheel drive in the form of this bicycle may be a sign of that.

• The bicycle that thinks it’s an SUV

Cycle insurance

Cycle insurance from the ETA covers against theft, vandalism and accidental damage (even at race events) and includes third party insurance, personal accident cover and bicycle breakdown cover.