JLR India will launch ‘Black’ editions of the new Range Rover Sport SV and the Defender Octa by the end of this year.
With this, the luxury carmaker has joined the likes of Tata Motors, Hyundai, JSW MG Motor, Honda, and Mahindra, among others – all of which sell black/dark editions.
What’s new?
Range Rover Sport SV Black
For the first time, the ‘Land Rover’ logo on the front grille and the ‘Range Rover’ lettering are in gloss black finish, and the car looks like it has been ‘dipped in black’ – usually, the Land Rover logo is in green, and the Range Rover lettering is in silver.
The shade used is called ‘Narvik black’ – a solid, deep black colour – and Martin Limpert, the global MD of Range Rover, recently told FE that the Sport SV Black combines pure power and performance with a gritty, uncompromising attitude that demands attention. “Range Rover’s design team has gone beyond anything we’ve offered previously with black packs or options, giving every single exterior and interior element a sophisticated Narvik black treatment – it appears to the eye as if the vehicle has been dipped in gloss,” he said. “It also has black-painted carbon fibre bonnet, gloss black forged 23-inch alloy wheels with gloss black brake calipers, and gloss black quad exhausts.”
It will be powered by a 4.4-litre mild-hybrid V8 petrol engine (635 PS, 750 Nm), capable of accelerating from 0-100 km/h in under 4 seconds.
Defender Octa Black
It also gets the Narvik black gloss/satin treatment, but you can personalise the exterior by choosing an optional matte protective film. Its cabin is unique, with a combination of ebony semi-aniline leather and Kvadrat fabric, and seat backs and armrest hinges finished in Carpathian grey. Across the dashboard, the cross-car beam is finished in satin black powder coat, while an optional chopped carbon fibre finish can be chosen for interior details. Mark Cameron, MD, Defender, said that while the Octa is the tallest and widest Defender, the Octa Black takes things up a notch. “We know our clients love giving their Defenders all-black finishes, so our designers have applied this principle to every possible surface – inside and out – to create the ultimate tough luxury SUV,” he said.
It will be powered by the same 4.4-litre engine of the Sport SV.
Price announcement and deliveries of both these models will happen in late 2025.
Other dark shades
Tata Motors is famous for its Dark and Stealth editions – with all-black exteriors (glossy for Dark, and matte for Stealth), blacked-out elements, and dark-themed, charcoal-like interiors. A Tata Motors executive earlier told FE that dark editions make up 10-20% sales in smaller cars such as Nexon and Altroz, and up to 40% sales in bigger cars such as Harrier and Safari.
Hyundai’s dark editions are called Knight, and popular ones are Creta Knight and Venue Knight. JSW MG has the Blackstorm editions in certain models, Mahindra has the Carbon edition, and Honda sells the Elevate Signature Black edition.
Popularity of black
According to data from Jato Dynamics, the preference for black colour in cars grew from 14.8% in 2021 to 20.2% in 2024, and that of white reduced from 43.9% in 2021 to 39.3% in 2024.
Reasons being attributed are exclusivity (making owners feel like they’re part of a select black/dark group), statement (black/dark editions project a bold, assertive image), and accessibility (these bold shades can make even mass-market cars look more luxurious without a massive jump in price).
Challenges for black
But maintenance is a major challenge. Dirt is prominently reflected on dark shades (needing frequent cleaning), scratches are also easily seen (necessitating paint protection films or ceramic coating, which add to the cost), higher cabin temperature (darker shades, when parked in the sun, attract more solar radiation, and the AC needs to overwork to cool the cabin, increasing fuel costs), safety (darker shades aren’t easily visible at night), and fading (when parked in the sun, the life of darker paints is less than lighter shades).
