As part of the Technology Strategy Board's (TSB) ongoing efforts of promoting and supporting research into environmentally friendly automotive technology, the group has given funding to Ricardo, Jaguar and Land Rover for quite a few separate projects. Five of the projects are outlined here:
Ricardo, along with the University of Brighton, DENSO Sales UK Ltd and Jaguar, has received funds to continue work on its innovative 2/4SIGHT engine, which is capable of running on either the 2 stroke cycle or the 4 stroke cycle.
The Range Extended Electric Vehicle is led by Land Rover. A large SUV chassis will be used with the goal of delivering 120 to 130 g/km CO2 and a zero emissions range of at least 12 miles.
A flywheel-based hybrid drive system will be tested, led by Jaguar and including Flybrid Systems, Ford Motor Company, Prodrive, Ricardo UK Ltd, Torotrak plc, and Xtrac Ltd. Formula 1 racing is also testing these flywheel-based hybrid systems.
The Limo-Green project is the fourth bit of technology and looks to incorporate the aluminum structure of the current Jaguar sedan range along with an electric motor, battery pack and generator.
Recycled aluminum will be looked at to see if it is feasible to use post-consumer scrap to form the basis of a lightweight, mass-producible vehicle.
These five projects are part of a group of sixteen total investments which will receive a total of £90 million in funding from the TSB. We've pasted two complete press releases after the break detailing each of the proposed projects that are mentioned above.
Do you have a fleet in the UK and you want to know how green it is? Business Car, which is specializes in cars for fleets, has taken CO2 emission information for the three best-selling fleet models, the automaker's CO2 reduction figures, as well as other considerations regarding low-emitting models across the range.
Their results are quite interesting. The top marques are, surprise, Toyota, not only because of the Prius, but thanks to clean diesel technology. Volkswagen follows, thanks to the availability of Bluemotion models across the range and a hybrid announcement. Third is Citroën, which has a lot of cars with low CO2 emissions, although the same can't be said for the upper models. Fourth is BMW which has brought "ecology" to the luxury car segment.
On the negative side there's Saab, which struck out due to the Swedish marque's bet on biofuels and the lack of biofuel support in the UK, as well as the lack of availability of smaller models. Then there's Mercedes, which was hit because they don't (currently) have any green technology vehicles on sale; the company's larger cars are available, though. Closing our the four worst list is the Land Rover, with a high CO2 average, and Mazda, which suffers due to a lack of an eco label. I bet they wish Econectic, parent Ford's green brand, could be handed down.
Yesterday's big news that Land Rover and Jaguar were sold to Tata Motors give us a chance to talk Land Rover in terms of CO2 emissions. Jaguar we'll just ignore for now, because Land Rover is a much more interesting case. We've ooohed and aaahed at the nice LRX concept, which would emit just 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer should it ever make it out of the Auto Show circuit, but in general Land Rover isn't exactly a clean car company. Automotive News Europe (subs req'd) found that Land Rover's sales are up dramatically in the last few years and the company is apparently "solidly profitable" (Jaguar's in trouble here). ANE said that Land Rover's CO2 emissions across the board need to be dropped and a brand reinvention to feature "fun, fashionable SUVs with a social conscience, rather than big gas-guzzling V-8 models that attract criticism from environmental campaigners" would be the right move. I see Tata as getting a bit schizophrenic here: big SUVs, the world's cheapest carand Jaguars? Still, if AutoWeek is correct, then the LRX will play a big role in the future of this new automotive hydra. That'd be sweet.
Gallery: Detroit 2008: Land Rover LRX concept live reveal
We first saw the Land Rover LRX concept CUV in Detroit when it was a gleaming white promise from the future. Land Rover displayed a second color scheme for the LRX in Geneva and has brought that vehicle to New York this week. We couldn't help but get a little shutter-happy today, and we also got Land Rover North America's VP of communication, Tim Watson, to tell us that, while nothing is guaranteed, the company is "cautiously optimistic" that the LRX will one day be brought into production. Considering this turbodiesel hybrid would emit just 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer, we're not afraid to say we'd like that. You can listen to Watson by clicking on the audio widget below and see more images of the black and silver LRX by clicking the gallery thumbnails.
Gallery: New York 2008: Land Rover LRX in silver and black
You know these names and have read about what these vehicles are and what they promise. Now, you can kick back and spend some time getting better acquainted with how these vehicles look. The gallery for the Sintesi is below. Check out over 75 more photos after the jump.
Gallery: Geneva 2008: Pininfarina Sintesi on the stand
Click image for a hi-res gallery of the black & silver Land Rover LRX
The Land Rover LRX, a revelation in white, was one of the stars of this year's Detroit Auto Show. The rakish SUV coupe complemented its looks and off-road capabilities with a green powertrain. For Geneva, the LRX remains equipped with a 2.0L diesel hybrid drivetrain theoretically capable of delivering 60 mpg in the EU combined cycle while emitting just 120 g/km of CO2. Land Rover has also prepared a second LRX -- the black-and-silver one above -- to join the white one onstage. The nattily-dressed concept is there to show what a more personalized LRX would look like and to help Land Rover gauge interest in a possible production model. Two versions of the same hybrid SUV concept? We'll say this: if nothing else, Land Rover sure seems plenty interested. Good thing. So are we.
Gallery: Detroit 2008: Land Rover LRX concept live reveal
The Detroit Auto Show is open to the public this week. If you're the type of person who really wants to be there, but can't find the time or money to arrive, allow me to present you with a viable alternative. Sure, we already brought you news about the green cars that were revealed or are on display at the show, but sometimes you'd like to just aimlessly wander the aisles and see what you can find, right? If that sounds good to you, here's a way to do just that at your computer. Click on the gallery thumbnails below to begin a journey through 111 images shot by Newspress at the NAIAS. As I was posting these images, I felt like I was back in Cobo Hall. You can feel like you're there, too. Enter any time.
Land Rover is very fond of its CO2 offsetting program and has decided to launch a campaign with a website to promote it, as well as celebrating the marque's 60th anniversary. The program not only plants trees but also includes humanitarian projects, as well as a window of Land Rover's statements on sustainable manufacturing and cleaner engines that produce less CO2.
One of the nice features of the website is that you can find the official information about the LRX concept recently unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show (which Land Rover states produces 120 g of CO2 per km) as well as the full details, on a world map, of Land Rover's projects.
Land Rover certainly didn't spare any expense when it came time to build a video screen to announce the debut of the Land Rover LRX concept SUV. For some Jeep-like reason, the organizers also thought that including fake rain and a pseudo-thunder storm was a good idea. As we wrote the other day, the LRX emits 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer using a turbodiesel hybrid powertrain and is Land Rover's second-ever concept vehicle (and the company has been around for 60 years). As Land Rover's managing director Phil Popham says in the video above, the company likes its concepts to mean something, and the company is ready to listen to the public on opinions about the LRX. If the gallery of pictures isn't enough to make up your mind, then check out the ten-minute video for more info. When you do, you certainly won't be able to miss the huge-normous video screen behind the stage.
Gallery: Detroit 2008: Land Rover LRX concept live reveal
A Land Rover that emits 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer? That's the promise of the LRX, the new concept SUV with a turbodiesel hybrid powertrain Land Rover unveiled yesterday at the Detroit Auto Show. Land Rover's press event made big deal of the history and future of Land Rover (with the very first Land Rover ever built sharing the state with Land Rover's second-ever concept vehicle - and this picture aptly demonstrates the message, I think), but the interesting thing is that the LRX is not exactly large. The two-door LRX does seat four, but it looks a bit cramped in the back. Perhaps it's bigger inside than it looks, but as you can see in the gallery below, the design lines compact towards the back, giving what Land Rover executives say is an aggressive stance. I care more about the environmental aspect of the LRX, and a vehicle of this size that puts out the aforementioned 120 grams is OK by me. More info in the press release after the jump, and there's a video to come.
Gallery: Detroit 2008: Land Rover LRX concept live reveal
Not long ago, we published a list of SUVs available in Germany with the highest mileage possible. But what about - at least on legal terms - how much CO2 a car produces? Never fear. Auto-News has a list of the "cleanest" SUVs on sale in Germany (and I'd say most of the EU), all of them producing less than 200 g/km of CO2, so it complements that previous list which had no information about CO2. Just remember that automakers should have an average of 130 g/km in four years' time.
Most of these models are also available in the U.S. but, as usual, without the high-mileage diesel powerplants Europeans love. The list is after the jump. Vehicles with DPF (Diesel Particulate Filters) have these letters added to the marque and model. The picture above shows the SUV in the 20th position, the SsangYong Actyon 200 Xdi 4x2.
The video above shows us an early look at the Land Rover "baby" LRX concept before it debuts at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show this month. The video includes Land Rover's design director Gerry McGovern saying the LRX "clearly conveys messages that we take sustainability seriously." The LRX is the smallest SUV Land Rover has ever made and includes an green "economy mode" which makes the car's internal lighting literally turn green. The LRX will also have a diesel/electric hybrid power train and gets 40 miles per gallon. Wow, someone give Rover a bone!
As our colleagues from Autoblog have just published, Land Rover has a smaller and more compact concept vehicle, the LRX. While the vehicle should have remained a secret until a big unveil in Detroit next month, you can see it now thanks to German enthusiast mag Auto Motor und Sport.
If the car went into production, it would likely be produced on the Ford Focus platform, and the article states that it would include a hybrid powertrain with an electric motor powering the rear axle, which would help lower Land Rover's average CO2 emissions.
The concept was made from a slightly shortened Freelander body: 4.35 meters long, 12 centimeters less than the Freelander and 1.55 meters wide and 20-inch rims. It's basically a 2+2 coupé with AWD. All-road capabilities will be reduced beause of 13 fewer centimeters of ground clearance. The concept focuses on creating an interior luxury atmosphere and includes a fridge between the seats and touchscreens.
Depending on the driving mode, the color of the interior lights changes to reflect the driver's mood: blue for normal driving, red for sport and green for eco-mode.
Starting February, small cars will be exempt from the London congestion charge, a priviledge currently only accorded to electric, biofuel and hybrids. A study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research commissioned by Land Rover found this could result in more cars (up to 10,000 more) entering London and increased pollution in the city. You see, sales of small cars in the UK are increasing (up a third the last nine months) as people try to find ways to save the roughly £2,000 a year (£25 a day) it will cost to enter congestion zones. A Transport for London spokesman reminded everyone "one of the main aims behind the proposals is to encourage people to consider the effect of their car on the environment and to choose less-polluting vehicles." Dah!
We feel really bad for Land Rover. Cross overs are taking over. Green cars are getting all the attention. Laws in Europe and America pushing for higher CAFE and lower CO2 emissions. What's a SUV brand going to do? Make a mini! Land Rover is releasing a sub-compact, which looks like the Range Rover sport but is just a little bigger than a BMW Mini. The picture above is from a 32 second preview video at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Geoff Polites, chief executive of Jaguar-Land Rover, says he does not even "know what gas-guzzling means." Geoff thinks people need to be more inclusive in their criticism of SUVs. "I don't see people attacking coal burning power stations with enthusiasm they attack cars" says Geoff. Geoff thinks the "baby Land Rover" shows the Land Rover brand can be different things and people should not "stereotype" Land Rover.
"Land Rover can be lots of things. You should never stereotype Land Rover, Range Rover or us. There are lots of opportunities available to do other things with those products" says Geoff. Hmmm, Land Rover... sub-compact? It's possible I guess. What do you think? Would you buy a sub-compact made by one of the top SUV brands? How about a sub-compact Hummer? FYI, get anything smaller than a sub-compact and you have a city car.
As part of the Technology Strategy Board's (TSB) ongoing efforts of promoting and supporting research into environmentally friendly automotive technology, the group has given funding to Ricardo, Jaguar and Land Rover for quite a few separate projects. Five of the projects are outlined here:
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