Rumors about a small crossover vehicle by Land Rover surface again as the British company trademarks the name ‘Landy’. The Range Rover Evoque proved successful enough for JLR to try and go smaller still, creating a contender for the fast-growing compact crossover segment.

Of course, all Land Rovers are called Landy in Britain; it’s a cool nickname they’ve acquired over time. So trademarking the name could just be an effort to secure the rights, especially as the application is said to everything from vehicles and associated accessories to clothing, scale models and franchising for vehicle dealerships.

On the other hand, the prospect of a smaller SUV than the Evoque makes perfect sense for Land Rover, as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes all have a player in this segment and if Land Rover doesn’t react in time they will run away with the market with their Q1, X1, and GLA models.

Land Rover has been toying with the idea of a fashionable small SUV on the Evoque platform for quite a while. So securing the ‘Landy’ name could be the start of the project. Autocar reports the new crossover will have similar styling to the DC100 concept.