Motor Authority - blog Category: Land Rover

Few, if any, automotive icons have as wide and as immediate a recognition factor as the Land Rover Defender. Spanning the globe and over six decades of production, the classic boxy go-anywhere-mobile is finally due for an update, and according to previous reports, it's already underway, appropriately dubbed Project Icon. Now it looks like the due date for the brand-new Defender will be 2013.

The Land Rover team is hard and secretly at work on the project despite the somewhat distant deadline, aiming to update the classic Defender with modern design principles while keeping its simple, brutally efficient capability intact. Unlike most of its...

Few, if any, automotive icons have as wide and as immediate a recognition factor as the Land Rover Defender. Spanning the globe and over six decades of production, the classic boxy go-anywhere-mobile is finally due for an update, and according to previous reports, it's already underway, appropriately dubbed Project Icon. Now it looks like the due date for the brand-new Defender will be 2013. The Land Rover team is hard and secretly at work on the project despite the somewhat distant deadline, aiming to update the classic Defender with modern design principles while keeping its simple, brutally efficient capability intact. Unlike most of its current stablemates, the new Project Icon vehicle is expected to eschew aluminum for a dependable and rugged steel chassis borrowed from the soon-to-be-replaced Discovery and Range Rover Sport models, reports Autocar. The news of the 2013 due date comes from a report out today by the Detroit Free Press. Like its predecessor, the Project Icon truck will be made in myriad form factors to suit the mission, and though initially built only in England, there are thought to be plans to send it to China, Russia, India and elsewhere in knock-down form for final assembly down the road. Upgrading the Defender to the T5 chassis will mean independent suspension, hard or soft tops and a choice of steel or air springs depending on the application. Power will most likely come from the company's existing lineup of four- and six-cylinder diesels. Americans, however, aren't likely to see the new vehicle, just as we haven't seen the Defender since their last brief stint here in the mid-1990s. Read More

With the financial backing of Indian parent company Tata Motors, British automakers Jaguar and Land Rover now have the freedom to expand their lineups with new models that previously would have been too costly. Jaguar is reportedly working on a host of new models, including the recently revealed 2010 XJ, an all-new XE roadster, an XF Estate and possible a new sportback model, while Land Rover has the 2012 Range Rover LRX as well as a new version of the LR2 (Freelander).

Since 2007 there have been reports of Land Rover working on a new seven-seat LR2. At 14.8-feet in length, the current LR2 is slightly shorter than many of its rivals, though...

With the financial backing of Indian parent company Tata Motors, British automakers Jaguar and Land Rover now have the freedom to expand their lineups with new models that previously would have been too costly. Jaguar is reportedly working on a host of new models, including the recently revealed 2010 XJ, an all-new XE roadster, an XF Estate and possible a new sportback model, while Land Rover has the 2012 Range Rover LRX as well as a new version of the LR2 (Freelander). Since 2007 there have been reports of Land Rover working on a new seven-seat LR2. At 14.8-feet in length, the current LR2 is slightly shorter than many of its rivals, though its interior is still generous thanks to its relatively long wheelbase. According to latest reports, a brand new version of the LR2 with a seven-seat option was due to surface next year but has since been put on hold as Land Rover focuses on the upcoming LRX and its current fleet. The project, codenamed L486, is still important for Land Rover as the company has ambitious plans for the vehicle. Once it’s eventually launched, Land Rover hopes to achieve more than 70,000 sales annually for the new LR2 family. [Autocar] Read More

Range Rover tuning specialist Overfinch has developed a new vehicle based on the latest 2010 Land Rover Range Rover SUV, which the company is describing as its most luxurious and exclusive off-roader ever. Bold claims but when you consider some of the modifications such as the handcrafted gun cabinet, refrigerator, and Overfinch’s typical attention to even the finest of details, then it becomes not too hard to believe those claims.

For its latest work, Overfinch has teamed up with Holland & Holland, a manufacturer of some of the world's finest sporting guns. The goal for designers was to create the ultimate all purpose, all...

Range Rover tuning specialist Overfinch has developed a new vehicle based on the latest 2010 Land Rover Range Rover SUV, which the company is describing as its most luxurious and exclusive off-roader ever. Bold claims but when you consider some of the modifications such as the handcrafted gun cabinet, refrigerator, and Overfinch’s typical attention to even the finest of details, then it becomes not too hard to believe those claims. For its latest work, Overfinch has teamed up with Holland & Holland, a manufacturer of some of the world's finest sporting guns. The goal for designers was to create the ultimate all purpose, all season, luxury off-roader, while also keeping a quintessentially English take on luxury motoring. Starting with either the supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 model or the turbodiesel V-8, Overfinch sets about upgrading the SUVs with a completely bespoke interior and exterior. Some of the modifications include special wood veneers for the dashboard, consoles and door inserts, individually numbered build plaque hand-made by Holland & Holland's own gun engravers, a custom four-seater layout and a new rear console with an integrated refrigerator and crystal ware, a handcrafted gun and drinks cabinet, and four new custom exterior colors. To further distinguish the vehicles, Overfinch has added 20-inch wheels (22-inch wheels are optional) and newly designed exhaust tips. Only 100 Holland & Holland Range Rovers will be built each year, with pricing starting at £120,894 (approximately $191,737) for customers outside the UK. Read More

Land Rover has confirmed today that a production version of its stylish LRX concept car will be built. The new model will debut next year and join the Range Rover lineup in 2011.

Designed and engineered at the company’s Gaydon facility in the UK, the new Range Rover will be the smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced.

Previous reports have suggested that it could be revealed in production trim as early as the middle of next year--June 17 2010 to be exact. Why the specific date? Because this marks 40 years to the day since the original Range Rover was first revealed to the public, and since the...

Land Rover has confirmed today that a production version of its stylish LRX concept car will be built. The new model will debut next year and join the Range Rover lineup in 2011. Designed and engineered at the company’s Gaydon facility in the UK, the new Range Rover will be the smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced. Previous reports have suggested that it could be revealed in production trim as early as the middle of next year--June 17 2010 to be exact. Why the specific date? Because this marks 40 years to the day since the original Range Rover was first revealed to the public, and since the production LRX will be badged as a Range Rover it is entirely possible that this is when it will be revealed. Earlier this week, the first test-mules for the LRX were spotted testing at Germany's Nurburgring. Click here to see the images. The original LRX concepts (there were a pair of black and white versions) was first revealed at last year’s Detroit Auto Show and featured a new 2.0-liter diesel-hybrid powertrain, which when running on bio-diesel achieves a fuel-economy of 60 mpg. Expect to see some version of this eventually feature in the production version of the LRX. Other elements of the concept vehicle that could make production include carbon-fiber panels to save weight and engine stop-start systems to further reduce fuel consumption. Read More

Dynamically designed and arrestingly attractive, Land Rover's LRX concept has won much praise on the auto show circuit--so much so that it is being rushed to production. Previous reports have suggested that it could be revealed in production trim as early as the middle of next year--June 17 2010 to be exact--and now we have the first spy shots of a test-mule for the compact SUV.

Why the specific June 17 date? Because this marks 40 years to the day since the original Range Rover was first revealed to the public, and since the production LRX will be badged as a Range Rover it is entirely possible that this is when it will be revealed.

The...

Dynamically designed and arrestingly attractive, Land Rover's LRX concept has won much praise on the auto show circuit--so much so that it is being rushed to production. Previous reports have suggested that it could be revealed in production trim as early as the middle of next year--June 17 2010 to be exact--and now we have the first spy shots of a test-mule for the compact SUV. Why the specific June 17 date? Because this marks 40 years to the day since the original Range Rover was first revealed to the public, and since the production LRX will be badged as a Range Rover it is entirely possible that this is when it will be revealed. The information comes from several inside sources at Land Rover who also revealed that production would likely start in early 2011 with the compact SUV to go on sale soon after as a 2012 model. Production will be handled at Land Rover’s Halewood facility in the UK, which employs about 2,000 people and is currently responsible for the LR2 and now defunct Jaguar X-Type. Earlier this year, Land Rover released this first official image of the production LRX and gave a tentative confirmation that a hybrid version would also be offered alongside the regular gasoline and diesel models. This test-mule is wearing the Land Rover LR2’s body panels but look closely and you will notice a camouflaged front to hide the new air intake design, and a shorter wheelbase as revealed by the smaller side windows. The original LRX concepts (there were a pair of black and white versions) was first revealed at last year’s Detroit Auto Show and featured a new 2.0-liter diesel-hybrid powertrain, which when running on bio-diesel achieves a fuel-economy of 60 mpg. Expect to see some version of this eventually feature in the production version of the LRX. Other elements of the concept vehicle that could make production include carbon-fiber panels to save weight and engine stop-start systems to further reduce fuel consumption. Read More

Jaguar is known for its use of aluminum in the construction of some of its models, and the weight and dynamic advantages that this approach offers compared to traditional steel-bodied automobiles. Now, it has been revealed by Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata that all future Jaguar and Land Rover models will make use of aluminum in their bodies - a move that will help Jaguar and Land Rover models keep weight down and improve mileage and efficiency figures.

Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar and Land Rover, revealed the information through Ratan Tata's comments in the company's annual report. The news comes following massive losses for the Jaguar... Jaguar is known for its use of aluminum in the construction of some of its models, and the weight and dynamic advantages that this approach offers compared to traditional steel-bodied automobiles. Now, it has been revealed by Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata that all future Jaguar and Land Rover models will make use of aluminum in their bodies - a move that will help Jaguar and Land Rover models keep weight down and improve mileage and efficiency figures. Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar and Land Rover, revealed the information through Ratan Tata's comments in the company's annual report. The news comes following massive losses for the Jaguar and Land Rover duo in 2008, with numbers hovering around the negative £673.4 million ($1.1 billion) mark. These losses were largely attributed to high development costs for new models, as well as the poor luxury car market, but vehicle production costs would also have been a factor. The use of aluminum in the construction of cars is certainly more expensive than using steel, but Jaguar and Land Rover will be banking on the efficiency gains that the material affords to woo a more environmentally-conscious public in the future. Jaguar has already made extensive use of aluminum in the construction of the XJ and XK models. As revealed to Autocar by Jaguar senior engineer Andrew Tarpey, “an all-aluminum body is the foundation for the major vehicle attributes of safety, driving dynamics and performance", and that more extensive use of the material will allow the designers to "produce a lightweight, efficient body structure with fewer parts and joints, meaning a stiffer body".2010 Jaguar XKR2010 Jaguar XJ Read More