Jaguar and Land Rover are looking to offer hybrid vehicles for sale within the next five years. It seems reasonable to conclude that they will parlay the experience gained from the government-sponsored testing that they recently were awarded into real production systems. According to reports, Jaguar is considering using a system similar to the one that Mercedes-Benz is working on for its flagship S-Class hybrid. The S-Class is expected to pair a 3.5 liter V6 engine to the ZF transmission, while Jaguar is said to be considering both a 3.0 liter diesel engine and a 5.0 liter gasoline direct injected V8.

Land Rover, on the other hand, seems ready to create its own home-grown hybrid system using something it calls the "Electric Rear Axle Drive." One thing that seems certain is that Tata Motors has plans to keep its two new luxury marques on the top of the technology curve, which could mean good things for the two ailing brands.

[Source: Autocar]

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.

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!

[Source: This is London]

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.

[Source: icBirmingham]

Land Rover has been announcing a lot of non-automotive efforts recently to offset CO2 emissions from the production and use of the cars it makes. To refresh your memory:

• Geneva Motor Show: Details of Land Rover's new CO2 Offset program
• Land Rover's CO2 offset program gets independent oversight group
• Land Rover's carbon offset program
• (They also, of course, try to make their vehicles cleaner, like the Freelander seen above)
  

So, with that introduction, here's the latest from Land Rover on the company's environmental outreach. The UK company announced this week that Earathwatch has become Land Rover's fifth Global Sponsorship Partner., which means that Land Rover will help Earthwatch pursue its "activities in working to conserve endangered species and their habitats by engaging people worldwide in scientific field research and education."

Land Rover's first act was to give a Defender for work in the Samburu, Kenya, where it helps surveyors of Grevy's Zebras and is used on an in depth study into conflict between carnivores and livestock for limited water resources. There's more from Land Rover PR after the break.

[Source: Land Rover]

the new Freelander 2 TD4 diesel automatic. click photo to enter gallery

Land Rover is bringing lots of torque-producing diesel engines to the show in Geneva that starts this week. Among the highlighted vehicles are the new Freelander 2 TD4 diesel automatic and the 2007 Defender that now comes with a new 2.4-litre common rail diesel engine. These diesels are, like all Land Rovers, carbon offset by Climate Care (the plan estimates 15,000 miles of driving a year and runs for three years).

The £22,305 Freelander 2 TD4 diesel automatic will be available next month in the UK. It has the same six-speed automatic transmission as the 3.2-litre i6 petrol Freelander 2, but the TD4 is powered by the all-new 160 PS 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine. Combined average fuel consumption is 33.2 mpg.

Land Rover is also phasing out naturally-aspirated petrol models starting from the 2008 model year. Over 90 percent of Land Rover UK's sales this year will be diesels. One such choice is the updated 2007 Defender, with the new 2.4-litre common rail diesel engine as well as numerous cosmetic and interior changes.

These changes are detailed on the press release, and I think you know where to find that (after the jump). Click on the photo gallery entry points (the pictures in this post) to see high-res images of the Freelander and the Defender.



Related:

• Land Rover's CO2 offset program gets independent oversight group
• Land Rover sheds pounds, improves MPG

[Source: Land Rover]

According to AutoWeek, Automotive News has reported that Ford will introduce North America's first light-duty diesel truck in either 2008 or 2009. The confirmation came from Ford's former vice-president of manufacturing for the Americas, Dave Szczupak,who retired last week.

According to the former executive, the F-150 is slated to get a cleaner version of the 3.6 liter V-8 diesel engine used in the European model Range Rover that was developed in conjunction with PSA Peugeot Citroen. The British-market SUV generates 267 horses and 472 lb-ft of torque while sipping fuel at a rate of just 25 mpg.

Szczupak said that two major tasks lie ahead for Ford diesel engineers to get the engine U.S.-certified. First of all, components must be redesigned to generate a cleaner combustion inside the cylinder. Secondly, the diesel team must choose an effective yet affordable emissions system whether it include a lean NOx trap or urea injection.

Other automakers are progressing with efforts to enter the light-duty diesel truck segment, however, none are situated as well as Ford to introduce the first vehicle. Toyota and Nissan are working to get diesel engines inside their Tundra and Titan, respectively, however, neither company has announced a deal with an engine supplier. As for the domestics, 2010 seems to be the magic year. Dodge is expected to receive V-6 and V-8 diesel engines from Cummins at that time while GM announced it would produce a small V-8 diesel truck engine just after.

[Source: Automotive News via AutoWeek]

Ford Motor Company just announced their new premium V8 diesel engine for use in top range Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo models. While V8 diesel engines are a common upgrade for medium-duty trucks in the US, they are often considered too crude for more consumer friendly applications. In Europe, V8 diesel engines have been appearing more and more in luxury sedans. Their combination of high torque and excellent fuel economy has made them the engine of choice for larger and heavier vehicles. And with advances in fuel injection technology and increased sound deadening, they are as sophisticated as their gasoline counterparts. I wish one of these modern diesel engines would make their way into a SUV offered in the North American market. The price premium for these engines would probably be less compared to a hybrid powertrain, and the fuel savings would probably surpass those of a hybrid, especially when doing significant high-way driving.

[Source: Ford Motor Company]

Land Rover North American VP Richard Beattie was on the podium in New York to show Americans the Land Rover Land_e, which makes use of the company's e-Terrain technology to provide improvements in emissions and fuel economy, without impacting on- or off-road performance. Included in its technology portfolio are an integrated starter-generator, an electric motor in the rear drive axle that provides tractive power and also enables the "seamless" propshaft disconnect and use of Ford's Powershift dual-clutch semiautomatic transmission. The concept was billed in Geneva as being powered by a biodiesel oil-burner, but apparently Land Rover thought that we'd be more impressed if they told us 'mericans that it ran on E85 (when the prototype is a series of flashing lights and not actual hardware, it's easy to make such changes).

The chaps from Land Rover also announced Go Beyond TV, which makes the brand "the first auto maker to offer [its] own broadband TV station". The programming is said to focus more on the "Land Rover brand spirit" than the SUVs themselves, with six different "channels" (Places, People, Adventure, Sport, Culture, and Land Rover) of lifestyle programming.

We've posted a few more live shots of the Land_e after the jump.