2008 Land Rover Defender SVX replacing 61-year-old Defender model

There aren't very many vehicles on our blue planet that have soldered on for 61 straight years, but the Land Rover Defender comes up on the short list. The Defender is reason numero uno why Land Rover has the off-road superstar status that it does, but the Detroit Free Press is reporting that the go anywhere SUV may finally be nearing the end of the dirt trail.

Land Rover managing director Phil Popham reportedly told Australian newsletter GoAutoNew that emissions and pedestrian safety laws will force the Tata Motors-owned automaker to either profoundly re-engineer or flat-out replace the Defender by 2013. The iconic Defender, which is also available in the U.S., hasn't even received major body work since 1983, which incidentally was the year Plinko was added to Price is Right. Popham insists that Land Rover won't replace the Defender with a kinder, gentler vehicle, adding that the new vehicle would offer even more on- and off-road capability, and we're guessing that any new model will come standard with more modern aesthetics inside and out.

While it's pretty clear that the Defender as we know it is likely on it's last set of knobby tires, there is still a decent chance that the geriatric SUV's successor could retain the Defender name. After all, you just don't throw away 61 years of name recognition on a whim, right?










[Source: Detroit Free Press]

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Range Rover LRX Small SUV Confirmed for Production

Land Rover officially confirmed today that it will build a production version of the LRX concept. In spite of the fact that the prototype model made its debut at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show with the Land Rover badge, the production LRX will bear the Range Rover logo making it the smallest model in the luxury brand's line-up. The three-door crossover will debut in production form next year to mark the 40th anniversary from the launch of the first Range Rover in 1970, and go on sale in 2011.

Earlier this year, the Jaguar-Land Rover Group, now owned by India's Tata Group, secured a UK Government grant of up to £27 million ($44.4 million - €30 million at today's exchange rates) to help aid the development of the LRX.

Land Rover said that the new car will be built at the firm's plant in Halewood, on Merseyside, and will be sold in more than 100 countries around the world.

"The production of a small Range Rover model is excellent news for our employees, dealers and customers," said Phil Popham, managing director of Land Rover.

"Feedback from our customer research also fully supports our belief that a production version of the LRX Concept would further raise the desirability of our brand and absolutely meet their expectations," Phil added.

Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director said: "The new vehicle will be a natural extension to the Range Rover line-up, complementing the existing models and helping to define a new segment. It will be true to the concept and have many recognizable Range Rover design cues including the signature clamshell bonnet, the floating roof and the solid 'wheel-at-each-corner' stance."

Land Rover said that more details of the new small Range Rover will be released next year.

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2010 Range Rover to Hit U.S. Roads from $79,275

Land Rover has released U.S. pricing for its updated 2010 Range Rover that made its world debut alongside the facelifted Range Rover Sport and Discovery 4 (LR4) at the New York motorshow in April. The base Range Rover HSE that is equipped with a new 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 producing 375HP starts from $79,275 while the 510HP Supercharged model will set you back by a hefty $95,125. Both prices include a $850 destination and delivery charge but not tax, title and registration fees. For detailed information and a high-res gallery of the 2010MY Range Rover, click here.

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Land Rover Releases UK Pricing for 2010 Range Rover Sport and Discovery 4

The revised 2010 Range Rover Sport and 2010 Discovery 4 will go on sale in the UK from the beginning of September priced from £44,895 and £31,995 respectively. The entry-level version of the Range Rover Sport is moved by a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel while the base Discovery 4 by a 2.-7-liter V6 turbo diesel. Both models features new engines, subtle cosmetic enhancements on the outside and redesigned interiors. Hit the jump for the detailed price list.




[Source: Carscoop]

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Tata considers more Jaguar/Land Rover cuts after massive loss

India's Tata Motors has reported a net loss of $520 million (25.05 billion rupees) for the fiscal year ending in March of 2009. Over the same period one year earlier, Tata managed to earn 21.68 billion rupees in profit. What gives? Naturally, the global economic meltdown didn't do the automaker any favors, but the main problem can be sourced back to the poor performance of Jaguar and Land Rover, which the Indian automaker purchased from Ford last year with the help of a $3 billion bridge loan.

The fact that Jaguar Land Rover accounted for $504 million of that $520 million total loss means that more job cuts and plant shutdowns are in store for the ailing British duo. Says Tata Vice Chairman Ravi Kant:

We have sent people on sabbatical, gone for cheaper low-cost country sourcing and tight control in cash flows, and are assisting JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) for a major belt tightening.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Tata was in search of some £1 billion ($1.5B) in cash and underwriting help to pump into the JLR operations.






[Source: Reuters]

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Who Let the Dogs Out? NEC's Range Rover Convertible

We've seen many topless conversions that leave much to be desired in terms of styling, but this creation may very well take one of the top spots in our list. The awkward looking (with the roof up or down) Range Rover Convertible was built by Newport Convertible Engineering (NEC) of Placentia, California. The folks over at NEC retained the Range Rover's door frames while they also added a central roll bar. To solve the problem with the rear hatch, NEC engineered a unique split tailgate. More photos after the jump.

[Source: Carscoop, Photos: NEC]

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Land Rover to Unveil Updated Discovery, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport this week

According to Carscoop sources, Land Rover is serving up a surprise for the New York International Auto Show that opens to the public on April 10, with the unveiling of three facelifted models, the 2010 Discovery (or as it is called in the US, LR3), Range Rover and Range Rover Sports. All three premium SUVs will receive a mid-life update with cosmetic changes in and out. However, the headlines news is the presentation of a new range of more powerful, yet more fuel efficient diesel and gasoline engines.

In particular, as with the recently updated Jaguar XF and XK models, the 2010 Land Rovers adopt a new dual turbocharged 3.0-litre AJ-V6D Gen III diesel engine that produces up to 275HP and a massive 600Nm (443 lbs-ft) of peak torque.

The 2010 Range Rover and its Sport sibling also benefit from the AJ-V8 Gen III direct-injection engine that will be offered in both naturally aspirated and supercharged forms producing 385HP / 515Nm and 510HP / 625Nm respectively. We'll have more details on all three Land Rovers at the opening of the NY Show.

Source: Carscoop

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2010 Land Rover Discovery 4 - LR4: New Looks, Better Handling and new 245HP V6 Diesel

Due to be revealed alongside the 2010 Range Rover at the New York Auto Show, the Discovery 4 - LR4 for the States- comes with refreshed looks inspired from the more luxurious Range Rover, a more premium-feel cabin and the British firm's new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter common rail diesel engine that is mated to a revised ZF HP28 6-speed automatic transmission. The updated Discovery 4 / LR4 is scheduled to go on sale in the UK this September.

On the outside, Land Rover's designers attempted to smoothen the Discovery 3's ruged looks by removing most of the dark plastic and restyling the SUVs front fascia which is clearly inspired from the Range Rover. The revised headlamps and tail lights now incorporate LED technology while there are also new 19-inch alloy wheel designs and, for the first time, a new 10-spoke 20-inch wheel is available as a factory option.

Land Rover's team paid more attention to the Discovery's interior that has received a serious makeover with a redesigned dash and instrument panel, a new centre console that is now inclined towards the driver, new steering wheel with revised switch layout and new seats. Also new are the 5-inch TFT screens in the instrument cluster displaying key information and a new Portable Audio Interface with MP3 player and i-Pod connectivity.

For the 2010MY, the Discovery benefits from a new 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged diesel engine producing 245HP and a massive 600Nm the torque. Even though it delivers 29 percent more power and 36 percent higher torque than the 2.7-liter V6 diesel which will continue to be offered on the Disco, fuel economy is improved by 9 percent, delivering 30.4mpg UK (9.3 l/100km or 25.3 mpg US) on the EU Combined cycle.

Land Rover has also improved the Disco's vehicle dynamics on and off-road by tweaking the suspension, adding larger brakes and revising the Terrain Response and Hill Descent Control systems.

Source: Carscoop

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Facelifted Range Rover Sport gets new V6 Diesel and V8 Petrol units

With the presentation of the 2010 Range Rover Sport we complete our coverage on the facelifted Land Rovers that began with the 2010 Range Rover and continued with the 2010 Discovery 4 or LR4. Like its two other siblings, the updated Range Rover Sport that will bow for the first time to the public at the New York Auto Show, benefits from upgrades to the design and under-the-skin enhancements.

Changes to the exterior are more widespread compared to the standard Range Rover and include a redesigned fascia with new LED headlamps, two-bar grille, front bumper and wings while at the rear, the luxury SUV gains new light clusters and a restyled bumper.

The Range Rover Sport's interior has also been subtly redesigned with Land Rover officials claiming that the facia now has 50 per cent fewer switches thus offering a cleaner look. The higher quality materials and the updated trim options complete the upgrades.

The most significant changes on the 2010 Range Rover Sport are however to its powertrains as the SUV benefits from two new engines, a 3.0-liter twin-turbo diesel producing 245HP and 600Nm of torque and a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 petrol unit with 510HP and 625Nm. Both engines are hooked up to a revised six-speed automatic transmission.

Land Rover has also fiddled around with the Range Rover Sport's chassis to improve handling. The facelifted model sees the introduction of new systems such as Adaptive Dynamics that works in conjunction with the existing Dynamic Response, and the addition of the more road-focused Dynamic Program to the Terrain Response system.

Source: Carscoop

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