Land Rover is to reveal a new diesel hybrid plug-in prototype in Geneva. The new model will make its debut alongside the soon-to-launch Range Rover Evoque-Land Rover’s smallest and most fuel efficient car yet produced.
The new ‘Range_e’ plug-in concept car is designed to showcase the next step in the luxury car maker’s mission to produce more fuel efficient vehicles. The technology-packed ‘Range_e’ is one of several working prototypes currently being developed at Land Rover’s design and engineering centre in the UK.
Based on the hugely-popular Range Rover Sport, the new hybrid concept features a 3.0-litre TDV6 diesel with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Matched with a plug-in parallel diesel hybrid system it offers a premium SUV that can run as a pure electric vehicle. It has an EV range of 20 miles, a top speed of around 120mph and a total driving range of 690 miles. It’s thought that the model could have emissions as low as 89g/km-the same as a Toyota Prius.
The other big news from Land Rover will be the new Range Rover Evoque, set to go on sale in the summer in both coupe and 5-door derivatives. Land Rover is set to announce the full European pricing (excluding UK) on the opening press day of the Geneva Motor Show (March 1, 2011) and will be showing a range of exciting options available. With CO2 emissions sub 130g/km and fuel economy expected to exceed 58mpg (combined), the Evoque is set to be the lightest and most fuel-efficient vehicle that Land Rover has yet brought to full production.
The Geneva Motor Show runs from March 1 until March 13, 2011.
