Range Rover 2013 News

Range Rover is launching its first-ever hybrid models in the form of the new Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid, which make their world debut next month at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show and go on sale overseas early next year. Both vehicles feature state-of-the-art diesel-electric hybrid powertrains.The powertrain is common to both: a 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 paired in parallel with an electric motor integrated with the ZF eight-speed automatic already fitted across the line. Peak output of the system is 250kW of power at 4000rpm and 700Nm of torque, with the latter generated from as low as 1500 rpm and up to 3000rpm.Note, the electric motor by itself generates 35 kilowatts and 170Nm of torque. This allows the vehicle to travel at speeds of up 48kmh on electric power alone, but only over a distance of about 1.6km. This mode, which is selectable by the driver, is purely for stop and start driving around town. The motor also acts as a generator under braking.The total weight of the hybrid system, including the floor-mounted lithium-ion battery and inverter, is only 120kg, helping the vehicles maintain their strong performance and off-road capability. The Range Rover Hybrid weighs in at 2394kg while the Range Rover Sport Hybrid checks in at 2372kg.They’re not exactly light but that makes the performance of their new hybrid system all the more impressive. Land Rover claims a 0-100kmh time of 6.9 seconds for the Range Rover Hybrid and 6.7 seconds for the Range Rover Sport Hybrid. Top speed is 218kmh and 225kmh, respectively. Combined fuel economy for both models, based on the European combined cycle, is 6.4L/100km, with CO2 emissions of 169g/km.Importantly, both hybrids retain Land Rover’s peerless four-wheel drive system and work seamlessly with the computer-controlled Terrain Response 2 off-road system, and both offer uncompromised wading and ground clearance despite their floor-mounted batteries.To demonstrate this capability, three Range Rover Hybrids will embark today on an epic trip, from the home of Range Rover production in Solihull, UK to the home of Land Rover’s parent company Tata, in Mumbai, India. The journey, which Land Rover has dubbed the “Silk Trail 2013,” will see the vehicles travel some 16,000km across 12 different countries. They are expected to arrive in Mumbai on October 15.www.motorauthority.com 

...The big question now is whether the cabin contains seven seats or if the extra space is just translated into extra back-seat legroom. This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover

When I was a little bloke, a visit to the old Sydney Showgrounds was always a very special event.

Mark Knoffler rocked, Zara Phillips and Holly Valance smiled for the cameras, and a wide range of British celebrities including witty comedian Jimmy Carr - complete with toy dog - all made the running.But it was the $1.6 billion Range Rover that was the star in London tonight. As the off-road limousine waded through a giant fountain at the Royal Ballet School it signalled the renewal of the ultimate Toorak tractor into its fourth generation.Except that Land Rover says the new Rangie is going green with everything from a lightweight alloy structure to an imminent hybrid - the world's first diesel-hybrid SUV - and enviro leather. ‘We want to make it better in every respect,” the head of Land Rover, Phil Popham, tells Carsguide. That means building a Range Rover that rivals a BMW 7 Series or Mercedes S-Class as a luxury limousine, but can still trump a Toyota LandCruiser or Jeep in off-road conditions.The new Range Rover is bigger inside and out, has much more technology and luxury, and will be priced from $178,900 when it arrives in Australia in January. Jaguar Land Rover will have it in spotlights at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney next month, alongside the latest Jaguar F-Type sports car, but the first 25 cars are already taken.There are three engines for Australia - 3-litre V6 diesel, 4.4-litre V8 diesel and 5-litre supercharged V8 petrol - and standard equipment includes everything from re-engineered air suspension to a second-generation Terrain Response system, a choice of five or luxury four-seater cabin layouts, and even huge new brakes and alloy wheels up to 22 inches. “There are more than 2500 new parts,” says Popham. But the Range Rover still carries the DNA which has made it a global success over the past 40-plus years, in everything from the body design to split tailgate - now fully electric - and the 900-millimetre wading ability that was put to the test tonight. 

But there is almost nothing to hide in this shot of a production car running close to the company's headquarters in Britain. Australian deliveries will begin in the first half of next year. 

The Carparazzi shot of this mule clearly shows the clamshell hood and sloping roofline.The picture also shows the vehicle looks bigger than the current model, but it doesn't reveal whether the Rangie is running on an alloy chassis reportedly being developed with Jaguar. That could trim 400kg off the 4WD for quick and painless gains in fuel consumption. Expect it here in 2013 from about $165,000.

The all-new 2013 Range Rover will come with a new, lightweight body and the brand’s first hybrid drive-train.Joint development with Jaguar points to an aluminium chassis that will also be used on the coming XE sportster.Expect the next Range Rover to be up to 400kg lighter and the start of a futuristic new-model push – despite camo pinched from World War I British warships.

Its owner looks a bit adventurous, tackling icy roads and a frozen lake course with giant spotlights on the roof to cope with the early sunset in Scandinavia in late January. But get up close and the real story is clear. This is an early prototype of the next all-new Range Rover, caught during testing by the Carparazzi crew on winter white work.The new Land Rover flagship is not scheduled for a presentation in late 2013, but the pictures give some early hints. Judging from the wider, but not longer, front guards the car is going to get a slightly wider track but retains today's wheelbase.The mule-style front design of the prototype leads us to believe new engines are underway. However, the modifications might as well be a hint to a radically different front-end layout that could be necessary to satisfy stricter pedestrian safety regulations.Like today's model, the new Range Rover will be available with a variety of V8 petrol and diesel engines, but to reduce the company's fleet consumption much further than smaller models alone could do, Land Rover might have a hybrid version on the cards as well.

It's about as far as you could get visually from a traditional Land Rover while remaining an SUV, and it's the company's star turn at next month's Detroit Motor Show. The LRX Concept is, the company says, all about compactness, weight-saving and those currently sexy "sustainability-focused technologies.”As with BMW's forthcoming X6, LRX is regarded as a 'cross-coupe,' the first all-new Landy revealed since Gerry McGovern became design director and the Landy's opening shot of its 60th anniversary year.Among its myriad showcar features, the LRX has a clear roof supported by a 'spider' frame running into the A-pillars, and the rear quarter pillars have glazed apertures for improved visibility and a lighter feel in the cabin.They float on individual plinths and have open frameworks to reinforce the impression of light, airy interior space while also creating useful under-seat and under-floor stowage areas.