Tag: land

Next Defender expected in 2014 but Land Rover suffering from lack of focus?

Filed under: SUV, Land Rover, Military, UK, Off-Road

Land Rover Fire and Ice edition Defender SUVs

Land Rover Fire and Ice Defenders – Click above for high-res image gallery

Land Rover seems to be having some trouble figuring out how to go about putting its plan for the successor to the Defender throne into motion. According to Autocar, the company knows what attributes the vehicle should have, but doesn’t know how to go about engineering the platform using existing components from the company’s parts bin. Word from the web had previously said that Land Rover had planned to use the company’s T5 steel platform for Project Icon (the internal name for the next Defender), though according to the report, the company now thinks that the chassis would be too heavy to be a viable option.

So what will the next-generation Defender look like? If anyone at Land Rover knows for sure, they certainly aren’t telling the scribes at Autocar. According to the article, all we know for sure is that the vehicle will still wear the Defender name. Otherwise, there’s just a few shady hints that the company’s fancy Electric Rear Drive Axle Drive technology may show up both on civilian and military models.

Speaking of the Defender’s military service, the Autocar report says that Land Rover is interested in winding down that area of its business, reducing the number of Defender body variations at the same time. With Tata having given the okay (and the funds) to proceed with the 2014 project, here’s hoping Land Rover works its way through this mess in a hurry.

Gallery: Land Rover Defender Fire & Ice editions

[Source: Autocar]

Next Defender expected in 2014 but Land Rover suffering from lack of focus? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Land Rover Evoque to get 2.0-liter EcoBoost from Ford?

Filed under: Paris Motor Show, Crossover, Ford, Land Rover, Luxury

Jaguar’s got a good thing going with its use of Ford engines, and even an engine shortage isn’t enough to deter Land Rover from getting in on the game. A report in Autocar suggests that the Land Rover Evoque could make use of the 2.0-liter, four-cyliinder Ecoboost engine that Ford just installed as the premium engine into the 2011 Explorer.

On the ‘sceptered isle, the same Ecoboost serves in the Mondeo, but with 203 horsepower instead of the 237 that the Explorer variant outputs. Since Land Rover won’t say anything about the report, probably trying to maintain the surprise until the Evoque is revealed at the Paris Motor Show, we don’t know which tune the Evoque might get. But that engine and the possibility of using Ford’s six-speed, dual-clutch Powershift transmission could go all the way to backing up Land Rover’s assertion that the Evoque will be the most fuel-efficient vehicle it has ever produced.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Land Rover Evoque to get 2.0-liter EcoBoost from Ford? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Budget, Sedan, Suzuki

2010 Suzuki Kizashi takes Bonneville – Click above to watch video after the jump

The crew from Suzuki and Road & Track officially hold the new Land Speed Record for the Blown Gas Coupe Category. The team wheeled out their modified 2010 Suzuki Kizashi to the Bonneville Salt Flats and managed to average an impressive 203.720 mph across two high-speed runs, besting the previous record by a little less than a second and a half. R&T commissioned legendary engine builder Richard Holdener to rework the engine in the Kizashi before it hit the salt, and as a result, the car wore forged internals and a beefier turbo that shoved a full 16 pounds of boost into the four-cylinder as the Sam Mitani-helmed Suzuki headed down the dry lake bed.

Now that the Kizashi has one record under its belt, Road & Track is planning to try for a second, naturally-aspirated record by unbolting the turbo and going hog wild. Now all we have to wonder is how much it’s going to take to convince Suzuki to offer those slick seam-welded steel wheels as an option on the Kizashi Sport. Hit the jump to take a look at a video of the car during its record-setting run, as well as a press release detailing the occasion.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi Sport

Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 AOL
[Source: Suzuki]

Continue reading Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Engine shortages holding back Jaguar Land Rover sales

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Jaguar, Land Rover

2011 Jaguar XJ – Click above for high-res image gallery

The turnaround at Jaguar/Land Rover is happening even faster than the company’s owner, Tata, had planned. A year ago, JLR posted a net loss of £64 million ($101M U.S.) in Q2; compare that to this year’s second quarter and its £233.8 million ($369M U.S.) net profit on 57,135 vehicles sold.

While we’re sure they aren’t complaining, the boost has left JLR in bit of a lurch: production has bottlenecked because it needs more engines from Ford, after already buying “considerably more” than it expected. Ford hasn’t offered any comment, but it is reported that the two companies are working together to figure out how to get Jaguar the powerplants it needs.

Gallery: 2010 Jaguar XJ

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: Engine shortages holding back Jaguar Land Rover sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: New Land Rover 4.4L diesel not U.S.-bound, but next one probably will be

Filed under: SUV, Land Rover, Diesel

2011 Land Rover Range Rover – Click above for high-res image gallery

It really is too bad, at least for us Americans, that U.S. and European emission standards aren’t in sync. The misaligned standards prevent many automakers from offering us Yanks the latest and greatest in fuel efficient diesel engines already available overseas. The disappointing trend continues with the 2011 Range Rover, as Land Rover rather predictably tuned its new oil burning 4.4-liter V8 for Euro-only duty.

But while we won’t be able to experience a diesel Land Rover that can hit 30 miles per gallon in the European combined cycle, Autocar reports that the next generation of the engine will in fact be ready for U.S. duty. Insiders at the Tata Motors-owned automaker reportedly told the UK site that the next-gen diesel will “very likely to come to the U.S.” Our friends overseas are just now getting their hands on the first 4.4-liter diesel Range Rovers, so the next diesel isn’t likely to surface until 2014 or 2015.

Gallery: 2011 Land Rover Range Rover

[Source: Autocar]

Report: New Land Rover 4.4L diesel not U.S.-bound, but next one probably will be originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Three-door Mini Countryman to gun for Land Rover Evoque?

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Crossover, Mini, Rumormill

It looks like Land Rover may have accidentally kicked over a hive of hornets by rolling out its new two-door Evoque. We recently heard all about BMW musing as to whether or not to build an X4 to compete with the crossover, and now Auto Express is reporting that Mini may be game to take on the newcomer as well. We’re not talking about the Countryman here, either. The site claims that the head honchos at Mini are mulling bringing a two-door version of the high-rider to life, and that it will be called the Canyon when it arrives.

Auto Express doesn’t cite any sources or point to any hard evidence of this decision (no surprise there). Instead, the site has chosen to rely on the fact that the company has been kicking around the idea of a vehicle like the Canyon since 2005. Now that the Countryman is headed for production, the logic is that it wouldn’t take too much effort to slim the platform, throw on two doors and bolt up one very coupe-looking roof. Thing is, until we hear word from Mini itself, we’re going to have to approach this one with a whole heap of skepticism.

[Source: Auto Express]

Rumormill: Three-door Mini Countryman to gun for Land Rover Evoque? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Land Rover puts a spin on spy shot camouflage to introduce Evoque to the world

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Crossover, Land Rover, Luxury

2011 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque says hello – Click above for high-res image gallery

Having already introduced its new two-door Range Rover Evoque to the world, Land Rover is taking a different tack when it comes to testing its pre-production fleet. While most manufacturers stick to draping their wares in plenty of psychedelic camouflage and plastic cladding to disguise the vehicle, Land Rover has taken to swaddling its prototypes in neon vinyl wraps to stir up a little buzz. The company is launching its final wave of testing on the vehicle, including putting the CUV through its paces in extreme environments like the Arctic.

Meanwhile, in its quest to iron out all possible bugs, engineers will be driving the Evoque around cities from New York to Shanghai – 10 in all. The Evoque will wear a vinyl wrap with a detailed GPS map of its foster city traced in neon lines from stem to stern. Very cool. Land Rover claims that the Evoque will be the lightest and most fuel-efficient vehicle the company has ever created. Whether that’s true or not, this pre-production stunt will likely win the new comer the most outgoing award. Check out the gallery of high-res images below, then hit the jump for the full press blast.

Gallery: Land Rover Evoque Says Hello

[Source: Land Rover]

Continue reading Land Rover puts a spin on spy shot camouflage to introduce Evoque to the world

Land Rover puts a spin on spy shot camouflage to introduce Evoque to the world originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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