The Fifth Gen

Know why this Range Rover edition is dubbed as "the Silicon Valley type"

- Atty Karen Jimeno

“The largest customer base we have is still in the US, mostly the Silicon Valley type,” said Richard Agnew, Land Rover communications director.

I had just spent a whole day of driving the new fifth-generation Range Rover and was sitting across Agnew over dinner at Hazel Hill Restaurant in Sonoma. Joining us were members of the Range Rover design team and a few international guests who did the drive with me. Having been thoroughly impressed, I wanted to know who Land Rover had in mind when they designed the Range Rover.

It’s widely known that a long-time customer of the Range Rover is her majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England. But now, it seems the “Tech Royalty” of Silicon Valley has been added to the list of Range Rover’s prestigious clientele. What is it about the Silicon Valley type that connects with the Range Rover?

With the third-highest GDP per capita in the world, Silicon Valley is a realm of its own. It is where you find the largest concentration of most expensive homes in the US, high-profile residents, and exceptional lifestyles. A Silicon Valley home that recently sold on the market gives us a glimpse of a unique lifestyle—it has its own dedicated office building, a spa, fitness centre, hair salon, movie theatre, and massage room. Things have a way of giving us insights into the lives of people who use them.

As I sat there at dinner, I thought about how driving the Range Rover through Northern California gave me a glimpse of what it’s like to be that “Silicon Valley type”.